Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 266

266. Land of Opportunity

Chief Manager Kang led Woon-hyun to his office.

Once there, Chief Manager Kang handed Woon-hyun a set of clean, new clothes.

“What’s this?”

“Gwangju is a land of opportunity.”

Instead of directly answering, Chief Manager Kang stated,

“But to seize that opportunity, you must possess marketability. Gwangju is both a land of opportunity and a city of merchants.”

“Marketability…….”

“Indeed.”

Chief Manager Kang looked at Woon-hyun and said,

“Fortunately, young master, you already possess it.”

“I do?”

Chief Manager Kang nodded.

“But I have nothing…….”

“Are you not a successful candidate of the Imperial Examination [a rigorous civil service exam in dynastic Korea]?”

Chief Manager Kang spoke with a sharp glint in his eyes.

“Young master, you are a successful candidate of the Imperial Examination. Any parent with a child preparing for the civil service exam would envy you. And these days, everyone is preparing for the exam.”

“But, still…….”

Even as a successful candidate, he had returned in this state. How could that be of any help?

“What matters is that people will acknowledge your abilities, even before they experience them firsthand. That is your marketability.”

Woon-hyun realized what Chief Manager Kang was saying.

But it was something Woon-hyun greatly disliked.

“But I don’t want to be someone who flaunts that.”

“Do not misunderstand.”

Chief Manager Kang said firmly.

“The people of Gwangju are not fools. If you do not possess the skills to match your reputation, the fact that you are a successful candidate will only bring greater criticism and ridicule.”

He was right. People are never fools.

Especially the merchants of Gwangju, who are quick to calculate.

“Another marketable quality you possess is the scholarly demeanor that has naturally become ingrained in you through long years of study.”

“Pardon?”

A scholarly demeanor? It was something he had never considered.

“Gwangju is a city of merchants. Merchants know each other too well, so they never lower their guard. But when they meet someone like you, they naturally relax.”

Chief Manager Kang spoke as if appraising him.

“They may look down on you as someone ignorant of the world, but merchants have a vague admiration for scholars. Therefore, a young master with a scholarly demeanor is more likely to gain the trust of Gwangju merchants.”

Woon-hyun pondered.

Perhaps everything he said was correct. But one crucial question remained.

“But even so, what can I do?”

That was the problem.

No matter how good an impression he could make, wasn’t the content the real issue?

Chief Manager Kang quietly asked in return,

“What do you want to do?”

Woon-hyun had no answer.

“It’s fine if you don’t have anything you want to do. The basis of a merchant is not selling what they want to sell, but selling what people want.”

Chief Manager Kang said with a resolute look.

“Selling what sells. That is the starting point for a merchant.”

Thump.

Chief Manager Kang lifted a pile of books and placed them on the desk.

The books stacked high were old ledgers.

A numerically recorded history of the Woon family’s trading company, detailing the days they had spent until now.

“The trading companies of Gwangju have highly specialized and complex systems. Therefore, all trading companies need people with accurate work skills. Smart people, that is.”

Chief Manager Kang placed his hand on the books on the desk.

“From now on, read these books. You said reading is your specialty, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but…….”

“I said it’s highly specialized and complex, but it’s not a big deal. It’s all things people do, so you can definitely do it too.”

Indeed, that was true.

It was work that people did, and a system that people had created. And it was made not for special geniuses, but for countless ordinary merchants.

Chief Manager Kang’s words were convincing enough.

“In fact, in my opinion, the best thing for you would be to establish a private academy [Seodang, a village school in Korea during the Joseon Dynasty].”

Chief Manager Kang’s voice reached Woon-hyun, who was lost in thought.

“However, a full-fledged academy requires considerable capital. It is virtually impossible for you in your current state, with not a penny to your name.”

Chief Manager Kang’s judgment was cold. And realistic.

“So what you urgently need now is a stable job. If you secure a position in a decent trading company, save money, and receive investments, establishing an academy is not an absurd dream.”

Chief Manager Kang’s heart was inwardly heavy as he spoke.

If the Woon family’s trading company wasn’t in such dire straits, starting a small academy would have been entirely possible.

But that was not the situation now.

“And continue to exercise your body from time to time. No matter how well you package a damaged product, it will always show. You can’t fool the seasoned merchants of Gwangju.”

‘A damaged product, huh.’

Chief Manager Kang was right.

When he had come to the Woon family’s trading company, he had truly been damaged.

But what about now? Could he say that he was no longer damaged?

“From now on, it’s up to you, young master.”

Chief Manager Kang said in a weighty voice.

Woon-hyun slowly nodded.

A smile appeared on Chief Manager Kang’s face. It was the first time Woon-hyun had seen him smile.

“Ah, and.”

Woon-hyun was about to leave the office with the clothes and books in his arms when Chief Manager Kang called out as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“Yes?”

Woon-hyun, holding the luggage in his hands, turned around awkwardly, and Chief Manager Kang hesitated for a moment before asking.

“By any chance, do you have anything you do at night……? Anything separate?”

Woon-hyun shook his head with a puzzled expression.

“At night? No, I don’t.”

“Is that so?”

Chief Manager Kang looked at Woon-hyun with a sharp gaze, as if trying to see through his inner thoughts.

But Woon-hyun’s eyes were as clear as his answer.

‘Was I worrying for nothing?’

The maid in charge of Woon-hyun’s quarters had complained that the bedding was dirty and smelled foul every day, so he had asked.

“I understand.”

Chief Manager Kang believed Woon-hyun’s words.

Woon-hyun was someone who had sufficiently proven the weight of his words.

Click.

Woon-hyun left the office and headed to his quarters.

In his hands were a set of new clothes and old ledgers.

‘A product…….’

Being evaluated like a product was a shocking experience.

But when he thought about it, the saying “scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants” had long become a thing of the past [a traditional social hierarchy in dynastic Korea].

In reality, the privileged class of society had always been those with money and power.

Besides, this was Gwangju, a city of merchants. And the place where he was staying was a trading company.

“……Right, that’s right.”

For the first time in a month, Woon-hyun truly felt that this was Gwangju.

And for the first time in many months, he realized that he was in a different world.

A place completely different from the world where swords formed forests and blood flowed like rivers.

“I have come very far.”

Woon-hyun murmured softly, like a sigh.

Somehow, he felt that he could truly forget now.

Because everything had become the past.

Because everything had flowed away.

Step, step.

Lost in various thoughts, Woon-hyun headed to his quarters.

But he had temporarily forgotten that he had woken up from a nightmare again this morning.

***

Golden double-roofed giant palaces, a deep moat and red walls surrounding the heart of the continent, the deep night of the Forbidden City [the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty].

In a great hall of the Forbidden City, where all the wealth and power of the world gathered, the white beard of an old man in a splendid official robe was twitching.

“You scoundreeeel!”

It was a roar full of spirit that would make anyone kneel.

But there was not a single person kneeling before him.

No, rather, the person who was kneeling in humiliation and bound was the old man himself.

Heavily armed Embroidered Uniform Guards [a secret police force during the Ming dynasty] were pressing him down from behind, and Embroidered Uniform Guards with drawn swords were surrounding him tightly.

“A lowly eunuch dares! How dare youuu!”

The roar of the white-haired old man echoed through the great hall.

But it became an empty cry.

“Indeed, the spirit of an elder from a prestigious family who has served as one of the Three Dukes and Four Dignitaries [high-ranking officials in the imperial court] is admirable. Hehe.”

A light laughter flowed out from behind a small fan.

Dressed neatly in a red eunuch’s uniform, he was none other than Eunuch Park, the Byungpil eunuch [a high-ranking eunuch] of the Eastern Depot [a secret intelligence agency during the Ming dynasty].

“Are you not afraid of the heavens for doing such a thing!”

The old man’s fierce roar echoed again in the great hall.

But Eunuch Park smiled lightly.

“The heavens, you say? How can you not know that you are the one who has incurred the wrath of those heavens?”

Eunuch Park said in a soft, thin voice.

“Do you really think that the Emperor does not know of your sin of joining hands with the rebels and causing the blood of countless people to flow?”

Rustle.

Eunuch Park lowered his fan and looked down at the old man.

“You intentionally concealed the movement of thousands of troops. If that place had been Beijing instead of Hangzhou, what would have happened?”

Eunuch Park’s eyes were cold.

The movement of thousands of armed soldiers is a serious threat that no dynasty can overlook.

Even if that place was the provincial city of Hangzhou, concealing that fact was an unforgivable crime.

“You, you scoundreeeel!”

The old man’s white beard trembled.

Eunuch Park raised a small fan and covered his mouth.

“Of course, I am only grateful because it has allowed me to take your head. Hehe.”

The old man gnashed his teeth.

Cooperating with the affairs of the Hangzhou martial artists was his mistake.

But an even bigger mistake was leaving Eunuch Park alone.

He thought that he would determine the sins and punishments himself.

He thought that no one would dare to challenge his power.

But how could he have known that Eunuch Park would act so quickly and boldly?

Even though it was clear that Eunuch Park’s own head would be in danger.

“I, I should have killed you long ago!”

The old man’s eyelids trembled.

His eyes, full of resentment, seemed ready to kill Eunuch Park immediately.

But Eunuch Park replied with a soft smile.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be lonely on your way.”

Eunuch Park reached into his arms and took out a red silk scroll. Then, holding one end, he lightly dropped it down.

Flutter.

The names, written densely in flying script, unfolded.

The old man’s eyes widened.

All the names of his key figures and their families were filling the scroll without exception.

“Since we enjoyed the glory together, shouldn’t we suffer the hardships together? The heavens are truly impartial to everyone. Hehe.”

Gritting.

“……Do you think you will be safe after doing this?”

The old man said in a voice filled with resentment.

“Tsk, tsk. For an elder from a prestigious family of the Three Dukes and Four Dignitaries to make such a predictable threat like a back-alley thug.”

Eunuch Park shook his head as if he was sorry.

“At times like this, you should recite a poem in a stylish way. That way, people might read it at least once, don’t you think?”

Rustle.

Eunuch Park raised his hand.

The heavily armed Embroidered Uniform Guards immediately stepped forward and bowed their heads.

“Take him away.”

“Yes.”

Upon receiving the order, the Embroidered Uniform Guards gestured, and the old man was dragged out of the great hall like a dog by the Embroidered Uniform warriors.

“General.”

“Yes, Eunuch.”

Byungpil Eunuch Park handed the red silk scroll he was holding to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard bowed his head and respectfully held out his hands to receive the scroll.

“It is a list of rebels.”

Eunuch Park said.

A terrifying word that would take the lives of many people was uttered casually from his mouth.

“Before tonight is over, you must arrest them all. Do you understand?”

It was a prestigious family of the Three Dukes and Four Dignitaries.

The families and forces they had relationships with were by no means small. It was only natural that Eunuch Park’s command was so sharp.

“Anyone who resists, kill them immediately. Do you understand?”

“Understood!”