Chapter 147

Jin Wikyung let out a deep sigh.

“I have to start working the moment I return to the family.”

“Haven’t you been away for several days?”

“That was due to circumstances beyond my control!”

“Getting angry like this won’t make the work disappear.”

“Wipeng, save me. At this rate, I’m really going to die of overwork.”

Despite his desperate, pitiful plea, Wipeng answered coldly.

“Finish your work before you die. I’ll give you a grand funeral.”

“……You’re a demon. Are you even human?”

Jin Wikyung had returned to the Jin Family of Taiyuan half a day earlier only to find a mountain of work waiting for him.

Because he had been away for nearly ten days, hundreds of bamboo slips were scattered across not only the writing desk but also the floor.

“How am I supposed to do all this alone?”

“You can do it. You’ve done fine until now, so why are you making such a fuss?”

“Does our family really have so few people? No—are there really so few capable people in all of Shanxi Province?”

“Have you considered lowering your standards?”

“Are you saying this is my fault?”

“More than ten people have already come and gone. They all seemed like decent scholars to me, but you made the mistake of hiring only two.”

“Decent scholars? Please. Do you have no eye for people?”

They couldn’t accept just anyone simply because he had studied.

The Jin Family of Taiyuan was, after all, a Murim sect. How much of the Four Books and Three Classics someone had memorized, or what they had learned from which great scholar, wasn’t important.

Jin Wikyung wanted practical thinkers with flexible minds, not rigid scholars who spent their lives quoting Confucius and Mencius.

“Those two were the only useful ones among them.”

He still didn’t regret that choice. At his firm answer, Wipeng picked at his ear.

“Oh, really? Then where are those two now? What are they doing?”

“……Well, that’s…”

When Jin Wikyung was momentarily at a loss for words, Wipeng continued in his place.

“They worked four straight nights without sleep, then ran away.”

“R-ran away? Who says they ran away? One of them had a gravely ill mother…”

“I looked into him after he disappeared. His mother died ten years ago.”

“……Really?”

“The other one said he was going to the latrine, then slipped away and never came back. Am I wrong?”

“Ahem! Ahem!”

“My lord, you’ve trained in martial arts, so you can go without sleep for several nights and remain perfectly fine. Those men can’t. They’re ordinary commoners who have never read a single line of a cultivation technique formula in their lives.”

“Ah, I know that. That’s why I’m paying them generously.”

“Another fifteen days and that silver would have gone to their surviving families.”

“……”

“Anything else to say?”

“……No.”

“Then start working. From now on, if the scholars who come looking for work seem useful, hire them all.”

Jin Wikyung nodded gloomily and reached for a bamboo slip.

That was when one of the martial artists from the guard detail waiting outside the office cautiously entered and delivered an unexpected report.

“Who did you say?”

Wipeng answered Jin Wikyung’s question.

“A messenger sent by the Deputy Military Commissioner of Shanxi Province.”

“I heard that much. But the Deputy Military Commissioner is… the man said to be Prince Shangshan’s closest aide and the true power behind him?”

“Yes. There was plenty of talk about a mere palace attendant securing such a high-ranking military post.”

“Right. I remember.”

Jin Wikyung had heard the rumors about the palace attendant who sat at the top of the military hierarchy and single-handedly kept the young prince under his thumb.

“We’ve never even met. What could he want all of a sudden?”

“What do you think?”

“Could it be because of the Third Young Master?”

“Given the circumstances, that’s highly likely. Bring the messenger inside first.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, and call Mukyung too, just in case.”

“Understood.”

Not long after Wipeng nodded to one of his subordinates, a man entered the office.

His movements were precise and disciplined, and he wore light armor.

One glance was enough to tell that he belonged to the military. This was the messenger Hong Jin had sent.

“Are you the Lesser Family Head of the Jin Family of Taiyuan?”

Jin Wikyung nodded.

“I am Jin Wikyung. Let’s skip the tedious formalities between us. What brings you here?”

“I have come to deliver a message from the Deputy Military Commissioner.”

“Does this concern my younger brother?”

“Yes. He is on his way here now, together with the Deputy Military Commissioner.”

“Together?”

“Yes. They should arrive in half a shichen.”

Jin Wikyung silently stroked his chin as he listened.

Hong Jin was effectively the second-most powerful man in Shanxi Province. He wasn’t the sort of person who moved without a reason.

A letter alone would have been unexpected from a man with whom they had never had any connection. The fact that he was coming in person made it all the more bewildering.

“I don’t recall making an appointment.”

Wipeng added a remark with a face dripping with frost.

“No matter how high-ranking an official the Deputy Military Commissioner may be, this is a clear insult to our family. Are you aware of that?”

“Th-that…”

Beads of sweat formed on the messenger’s forehead.

He had received some minor training in military martial arts. Faced with the gaze of the Peak master known as the Ghost Sword, he felt his heart drop.

“What business brings him here?”

“I-I was only ordered to deliver his message…”

He acts as though he owns the place.

The messenger, who had become so nervous he could hardly sit still, was rescued by Jin Wikyung.

“Wipeng, that’s enough. So what exactly did the Deputy Military Commissioner say?”

“He told me to convey his apologies in advance for his sudden rudeness. And…”

The messenger took a small cylinder from inside his robes and handed it to Jin Wikyung. Inside the palm-sized cylinder was a rolled sheet of white paper.

“What is this?”

“I haven’t heard anything myself. He merely said that you would understand once it was delivered.”

“Hmm.”

Jin Wikyung deliberately furrowed his brow and unfolded the paper.

At that moment, the office door opened, and a second guest entered.

“Did you call for me?”

“……”

“Older brother?”

Jin Wikyung stared silently at the paper in his hand for a while before raising his head.

“You’re here.”

“Yes. I was training when I heard you were looking for me… Why did you call me?”

“We have an honored guest coming. We need to prepare to go out and greet him.”

“An honored guest?”

“My lord, what do you mean, an honored guest? Do we really need to go out and greet him?”

Wipeng frowned and objected.

“He’s coming without even giving us notice. What kind of honored guest is that? He’s an uninvited guest.”

He didn’t restrain himself even with the messenger standing right there. Considering the Jin Family of Taiyuan’s current standing in Shanxi, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Jin Wikyung quietly handed him the paper.

“Look at this, then say that again.”

“What is it?”

“Seeing is believing.”

“You could simply tell me instead of making such a fuss…”

Wipeng’s voice gradually grew quieter before cutting off completely. His eyes trembled as they darted back and forth.

A moment later, his lips parted.

“An honored guest is coming.”

“Right?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

The two men turned toward Jin Mukyung, who was still standing there without a clue what was happening.

“Mukyung.”

“Second Young Master.”

“Yes?”

“You said you came straight from training, right?”

“You smell of sweat.”

“It’s only natural to sweat when you train.”

“Go wash.”

“Wash immediately.”

Baffled by their reaction, Jin Mukyung asked in frustration,

“Who on earth is coming to make you act like this?”

Jin Wikyung and Wipeng answered at the same time.

“A big spender.”

“And an extremely big one at that.”

Wipeng waved the paper in his hand. It was a thousand-nyang bank draft issued by the Golden Star Exchange, valid anywhere under heaven.

“This isn’t just a thousand nyang. It’s a thousand silver nyang.”

A thousand silver nyang was worth one hundred thousand nyang in iron coins. To the Jin Family of Taiyuan, which was already pouring money out in every direction, it was a fortune as welcome as rain during a drought.

For the first time in a long while, Jin Wikyung gave his second brother a stern look.

“Mukyung, let’s go wash up.”

“……”

The moment I got out of the carriage, a word slipped out on its own.

“Wow, fuck…”

There was no way I could stop myself from swearing. Atop the towering wall, a fluttering cloth banner displayed enormous letters that read:

The Day the Deputy Military Commissioner Came to the Jin Family of Taiyuan

This isn’t even Buddha’s Birthday. What the hell is this?

I was too embarrassed to lift my head when Hong Jin climbed down behind me and burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

“Wow. This is even more than I expected.”

“Are you and my eldest brother old ball buddies or something? How else did you get such an enthusiastic welcome…?”

“Young Master Jin, I don’t have balls.”

“Ah—oh. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

That was a tremendous blunder. Without a stick, there was no way any fertilized eggs would be left behind.

As I writhed under the weight of my guilt, Cheongpung approached and comforted me.

“Benefactor, my grandfather used to say that people who don’t know how to read the room have no friends around them. But don’t worry. I’ll be your ball buddy.”

“……”

I don’t need one, you bastard.

As I struggled to swallow the curse, Hong Jin spoke.

“Young Master Jin, do you know what binds people together? Wealth. They say gold and silver can make even ghosts work for you. Living people should be even easier, don’t you think?”

“So?”

“I told you I’d give him a present. It’s basically a bribe.”

Money can make even ghosts work for you.

I agreed with that to some extent, but I didn’t like the fact that the person in question was Jin Wikyung.

I already thought of him as my older brother deep down. I didn’t appreciate Hong Jin making him out to be some materialistic opportunist who could be bought with a bribe.

Perhaps that displeasure showed on my face, because Hong Jin smiled and said,

“Was that too harsh? But it’s only natural. Who doesn’t like wealth?”

“He’s still my eldest brother. Don’t think you’ve won over the Lesser Family Head of the Jin Family of Taiyuan with a measly few silver nyang.”

“Young Master Jin…”

Hong Jin’s eyes widened at my low voice.

“A few silver nyang? I gave him a thousand.”

“A measly… How much?”

“A thousand silver nyang. One hundred thousand nyang in iron coins.”

By now, I had a rough grasp of Murim prices and currency.

The private suite at the Phoenix Inn, which could be considered a luxury hotel, cost fifty silver nyang per night. That was said to be close to twice the annual living expenses of a family of four commoners.

In modern money, that would be tens of millions of won.

A thousand silver nyang was twenty times that. In other words, Hong Jin had casually tossed several hundred million won at them in one go.

“That’s… a lot, isn’t it?”

“A lot, yes. I put in some effort this time.”

“Still, that’s far too much.”

“It’s for the sake of our future relationship. And right now, the Jin Family of Taiyuan is probably losing money faster than it’s bringing money in. Winning a war and occupying the enemy’s territory isn’t the end of it.”

“Ah, yes.”

“The assistance you give at times like this feels much greater. I learned that after giving and receiving so many bribes myself. Ah, of course…”

Hong Jin continued with a wink.

“I also spent a little extra because I’ve taken quite a liking to you, Young Master Jin. You know how I feel, don’t you?”

The moment he finished speaking, I felt a hard foreign object against my butt.

The repeated poking sensation jolted me wide awake.

No way. Is this bastard seriously…?

I swear, it was the most spine-chilling moment of my entire life.

Fine. You die, I die. Let’s have another war!

I spun around at lightning speed.

What met my eyes was a silver lump about half the size of my palm. What did they call those again? A silver yuanbao?

“Here. Pocket money from me.”

Oh, right. He’s a eunuch.

I calmed my pounding heart and answered.

“Th-thank you.”

“Sure. Go buy some candied hawthorn skewers.¹”

“Benefactor, could you take me with you when you buy them?”

Cheongpung smacked his lips as he joined in.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out from behind us.

“Heh heh. I’ll tell the cooks separately, so ask for as many as you like. Isn’t that right, Wipeng?”

“We’ll build a mountain of candied hawthorn skewers.”

“Who is that fellow? Candied hawthorn skewers? He isn’t even a child, so what’s this about?”

I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

I turned around with a happy smile, only to find a scene that left me speechless.

Flutter. Flutter.

Jin Wikyung was smiling broadly. So was Wipeng. Jin Mukyung’s face was bright red.

In the hands of all three men, tiny scraps of cloth fluttered in the wind. I had no idea when they had made them.

Long live the Great Nation! Long live His Imperial Majesty the Emperor!

His Highness Prince Shangshan, may you become a sage king!

“……”

“……”

What had I said to Hong Jin earlier?

Had I told him not to think he’d won over the Lesser Family Head of the mighty Jin Family of Taiyuan with a measly few silver nyang?

Fuck, “won him over” my ass.

At this point, he was burned—burned to a crisp.