A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 233

233. The Dignity of Humans

Gongsun Zhi frowned slightly as she looked at Son Bin.

Her gaze was sharp, as if she were interrogating him, and the other young men also looked at Son Bin with puzzled expressions.

“I am Son Bin.”

Son Bin said with a light bow.

“I met Old Man Eo at the Janggang Inn, and before that, I saw you at the Hwanghak Pavilion in Wuhan.”

Zegal Ho of the Zegal family and Namgung Hyuk of the Namgung family looked surprised. It was because Son Bin, who looked like a perfect scholar, was with Janggang Eong.

“Ah, I see.”

Gongsun Zhi also remembered. However, in her memory, Son Bin was just one of the many men who had tried to flirt with her.

Gongsun Zhi, who had lightly greeted Son Bin in passing, immediately turned to Jeok Se-hwa.

“Congratulations. I heard you’re becoming the adopted daughter of the Hyeokryun family? You’re very lucky.”

That was a statement that could be unpleasant depending on how one heard it. However, Jeok Se-hwa smiled softly and replied.

“Thank you. But how can I compare to Miss Gongsun Zhi, the Tansim flower [referring to her beauty and purity]? I heard that the Gongsun family leader cherishes you so much?”

Jeok Se-hwa knew Gongsun Zhi very well. Gongsun Zhi looked slightly surprised, as if she had been caught off guard, but Jeok Se-hwa continued naturally.

“My name is Jeok Se-hwa. I am the daughter of the Hoyeon Martial Arts Center, and I will soon become the daughter of Hyeokryun Gong. Nice to meet you, Miss Gongsun Zhi.”

Jeok Se-hwa’s expression was smiling, but her eyes were shining confidently.

Gongsun Zhi’s expression twisted for a moment, but soon she bowed her head lightly as if nothing had happened.

“I see. Nice to meet you.”

She still doesn’t reveal her name. It was clearly rude, but Jeok Se-hwa replied with a soft smile.

Because her smile was as beautiful as a flower, Zegal Ho and Namgung Hyuk rushed to greet Jeok Se-hwa.

“I am Zegal Ho.”

“I am Namgung Hyuk, Miss.”

“Nice to meet you, Young Master Zegal Ho, and Young Master Namgung Hyuk. I heard that you are both promising talents from your families? Meeting you in person, I can see that the rumors are not false.”

Zegal Ho and Namgung Hyuk smiled at Jeok Se-hwa’s praise.

“Were there such rumors? Haha, I’m embarrassed.”

“It’s not a big deal. Ah, come to think of it, did you originally say you were from the Hoyeon Martial Arts Center?”

Zegal Ho and Namgung Hyuk continued to talk to Jeok Se-hwa and did not try to leave.

Gongsun Zhi’s eyes narrowed as she watched them, and suddenly Son Bin noticed the vice-commander of the Dangmun Silver Sword Unit standing there.

She hadn’t been able to greet Jeok Se-hwa yet because of the two young men.

Son Bin approached her. This was exactly what helping Jeok Se-hwa would look like.

“Nice to meet you. Ah, I am Son Bin.”

Son Bin greeted the vice-commander of the Silver Sword Unit, who he knew at least by face.

Perhaps because of the makeup, she looked much brighter than before. Her ordinary impression was nowhere to be found, and she looked like a noble lady with a slightly more mature feel.

“Dang Young.”

On the other hand, the vice-commander of the Silver Sword Unit replied very formally and businesslike. As if that was the end, she even turned her gaze elsewhere.

Son Bin, who wanted to show friendliness, spoke again.

“Ah, so you were Miss Dang Young. Miss, you are now a Silver Sword…”

– That’s a secret.

A sharp woman’s voice was heard echoing. It was her, the vice-commander of the Silver Sword Unit, sending a telepathic message to Son Bin.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Vice-commander Dang Young’s cold gaze turned to Son Bin as if rebuking him.

“Ah, yes.”

Son Bin gave an awkward smile.

Even though he didn’t know, he was still lacking in consideration. It was because he had guessed that the Dangmun Silver Sword Unit was a place that carried out secret missions.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Hyeokryun Jeong.”

A young man from the Hyeokryun family greeted Son Bin. He was a large and masculine-looking young man.

“Nice to meet you. I am Son Bin.”

He said that he was Jeok Se-hwa’s nephew in terms of seniority. They looked about the same age, but he was a nephew, so he could see that Jeok Se-hwa’s position was quite high.

He seemed to have been sent to take care of Jeok Se-hwa, who was probably at a family party for the first time, but it didn’t seem to be of much help.

Even now, Hyeokryun Jeong was not hiding his displeasure with Gongsun Zhi. It was probably because she had openly complained about the party venue.

In the meantime, more carriages arrived. The ornately decorated carriages stopped and several young men and ladies got off.

“Hello, everyone!”

A young man with a bright impression greeted them first. The other young men and ladies also had bright expressions.

They were all wearing luxurious clothes and decorations. Even the young people from the Se-ga [noble families] looked plain compared to them.

“Hmph, you’re finally here.”

Tansim flower Gongsun Zhi muttered unpleasantly. She didn’t seem to care that Son Bin was right next to her.

“It’s been a while, Young Master Hyeokryun.”

“Oh, Young Master Zegal is here too.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Gongsun.”

They were young people from the Five Great Merchant Groups. Two or three people from each group attended, and they all looked cheerful and had good impressions.

As many young people began to greet each other, the pier quickly became noisy.

Surprisingly, Jeok Se-hwa also knew a lot about the merchant groups. Soon Jeok Se-hwa became the center of the conversation, and the young people from the merchant groups also showed their favor towards Jeok Se-hwa.

Son Bin also greeted them. It was chaotic because there were so many people, but Jeok Se-hwa was talking leisurely.

After the greetings were roughly over, the group all boarded the cruise ship.

“Oh my, it’s a banquet hall on the ship!”

“Wonderful.”

The young ladies and men from the merchant groups exclaimed.

Even though they were from the Five Great Merchant Groups, they were still just young people without influence. Being invited to such a full-fledged party was not a frequent occurrence.

“But a ship, isn’t it a bit dizzying?”

Gongsun Zhi said in a sharp voice as the cruise ship slowly began to move. She seemed to hate ships.

“Are you not feeling well? I happen to have a good pill.”

Two young men from the Jae-bu Merchant Group next to her immediately reacted to her words. Gongsun Zhi, who didn’t dislike their attention, coughed lightly.

“Well, it’s not that bad.”

Son Bin, who was relatively free, watched the scene and thought.

‘The merchant groups are quite concerned about the Se-ga [noble families].’

The young people from the merchant groups were being very friendly to the young men from the Se-ga. This may be because the merchant groups’ people originally had good relationships, but it also meant that the Se-ga’s influence was strong.

The person who received the most attention among them was, of course, Jeok Se-hwa. Not only the Hwanam Merchant Group, which had a good relationship with her, but also the young people from other merchant groups were actively showing their friendliness.

Looking at Jeok Se-hwa, Son Bin felt that she was great again. When she was at the Seowon [private academy], she only looked like a quiet lady, but when she was with the Se-ga or merchant group people, she seemed to shine even more.

The cruise ship rode the waves and headed towards the center of the river. Maids brought out food, and two entertainers began to play music.

Son Bin, who was relatively far from people’s attention, leisurely watched the flowing river and savored the music. It was when he thought that there was no point in him coming.

“What are you doing?”

Son Bin turned his head at the clear voice of a woman.

A slightly cute girl with round eyes was staring at Son Bin. The young girl’s eyes were sparkling.

“I was looking at the waves.”

Son Bin replied with a smile.

“Hmm, the waves?”

The girl glanced at the river.

“Is it fun?”

“Sometimes.”

Son Bin’s answer didn’t seem to get much sympathy. The girl frowned slightly and asked again.

“You don’t seem to be from the Hyeokryun family, what do you do?”

“I run a small Seowon [private academy].”

“Seowon… My dad said that doesn’t make money.”

The girl boldly scanned Son Bin up and down.

“Are you rich anyway? That’s expensive clothes.”

“I received it as a gift.”

“From who? Girlfriend?”

It was quite rude to ask such a question at the first meeting, but Son Bin smiled and replied because her lively appearance was not so hateful.

“Not a girlfriend, but Miss Jeok Se-hwa.”

The girl’s eyes widened. There was no way she wouldn’t know Jeok Se-hwa, the host of today’s party.

“Really? Wow, you’re amazing.”

‘Mister?’

Son Bin smiled bitterly. Of course, he seemed to be older than this girl. But he wasn’t a mister, was he?

“I, mister is a bit…”

“I’m Jin Hye-mi. I’m from the Maun Merchant Group. There’s a branch here in Gwangju.”

She introduced herself, interrupting Son Bin’s words. He couldn’t ignore that, so Son Bin bowed his head lightly in return.

“I am Son Bin.”

“Haa.”

Jin Hye-mi leaned against the railing of the ship and sighed deeply.

“It’s no fun here. I forced myself to come, but everyone is just talking among themselves.”

Jin Hye-mi said, puffing out her cheeks.

“They won’t even let me drink. They say I’m still young… I’ve already finished my Gye-rye ceremony [coming-of-age ceremony for women] and I’m already an adult.”

The Gye-rye ceremony is a woman’s coming-of-age ceremony. However, it is difficult to be treated as an adult until marriage by custom. Moreover, this is even more true in the case of young people like Jin Hye-mi in front of her.

“There’s no need to be impatient.”

Son Bin said.

“You can try things like alcohol later. Wouldn’t it be better to find something more important than that? For example, something you really want to do…”

“Wow, you’re old-fashioned. You really are a mister. No, is it natural because you’re a mister?”

Jin Hye-mi said, frowning.

Son Bin smiled bitterly because he didn’t know she would say he was old-fashioned so openly.

While Son Bin and Jin Hye-mi were talking, Gongsun Zhi of the Gongsun family was also looking at Son Bin.

It wasn’t that she was interested in Son Bin. Originally, her interest was in Jeok Se-hwa, the host of this event and the one who was monopolizing the attention of the young men.

‘Lowly thing…’

Gongsun Zhi bit her lip slightly. A place like Hoyeon Martial Arts Center, which she had never even heard of, could not be compared to the Gongsun family, a traditional Gangbuk family.

Even the Hyeokryun family was beneath her eyes, so there was no way the name Hoyeon Martial Arts Center would enter her ears.

However, Jeok Se-hwa, the daughter of that Hoyeon Martial Arts Center, was receiving more attention than her. Not only the young men from the merchant groups, but also the young masters from the Zegal and Namgung families, who had shown her favor, were next to her.

Naturally, Gongsun Zhi’s mood could not be comfortable.

“Come to think of it, I heard that Miss Gongsun is excellent in martial arts?”

Several young men from the merchant groups next to her were trying to get her attention. Gongsun Zhi replied in an indifferent voice.

“It’s nothing.”

Not even one of the Five Great Families, and the young men from the merchant groups were not enough to catch Gongsun Zhi’s eye. Gongsun Zhi took the glass of wine in her hand slightly to her lips and secretly glared at Jeok Se-hwa once again.

‘Huh?’

It was a coincidence that Jeok Se-hwa’s appearance came into Gongsun Zhi’s view. Jeok Se-hwa, who was smiling and talking to the young men, suddenly looked somewhere else.

That gaze of Jeok Se-hwa, who seemed a little anxious, was a completely different expression from when she was smiling and talking.

Gongsun Zhi looked at where Jeok Se-hwa’s gaze was directed. There was a young scholar talking happily with a young girl.

‘That man is…’

It was Son Bin, a scholar who had met her a few times.

‘Aha.’

Gongsun Zhi realized what Jeok Se-hwa’s gaze meant. And at the same time, she felt a sense of superiority.

‘Hoho, the level of the man she brought as a man.’

Gongsun Zhi’s sharp gaze ended her evaluation of Son Bin at a glance. The result was the lowest. According to her evaluation, Son Bin’s value was the lowest among the men here.

In addition, she vividly remembered Son Bin’s shabby appearance at the Janggang Inn last time.

‘This might be fun?’

If there is a weakness, it is easy to give shame.

Interesting thoughts were constantly popping up in Gongsun Zhi’s head as she looked at Son Bin. So much so that she was having trouble choosing what to choose.

“Miss’s eyes are truly excellent.”

Namgung Hyuk of the Namgung family said with admiration.

“I can see why the Hyeokryun family is accepting Miss.”

The other young men nodded as if agreeing. But Jeok Se-hwa gave an awkward smile.

“Could it be that the Hyeokryun family has no one to accept Miss?”

A young woman’s voice was heard from the side. Jeok Se-hwa turned her head and saw 능So-ryeon of the Hwanam Merchant Group standing there.

“Accepting her as family must be because they saw the truth in her character. It can’t be because of shallow calculations, right?”

능So-ryeon’s eyes were shining. Hyeokryun Jeong, the young master of the Hyeokryun family, nodded greatly next to her.

“Thank you for saying that, Miss 능.”

Jeok Se-hwa smiled and expressed her gratitude. 능So-ryeon of the Hwanam Merchant Group smiled and bowed her head lightly.

“Is that really the case?”

A sharp voice interjected. Gongsun Zhi, the Tansim flower, who was standing a little away, said with a relaxed smile.

“No matter how kind you are, you can’t put a commoner on the throne. Those who stand in a noble position must have the ability and dignity to match it.”

It was an open challenge. People’s expressions hardened, and Hyeokryun Jeong immediately frowned.

“Is Miss Gongsun insulting the Hyeokryun family’s event right now?”

“Oh my, when did I?”

Gongsun Zhi shrugged as if she didn’t know anything.

“I was just saying that there is a class to people. Young Master Hyeokryun, are you trying to oppress me with words I didn’t even say?”

“Didn’t you just mention commoners? Isn’t that a metaphor for Miss Se-hwa?”

Gongsun Zhi smiled. Hyeokryun Jeong was too easy an opponent.

“I didn’t say that? Ah, is Miss Jeok Se-hwa of humble origin?”

Hyeokryun Jeong was furious at Gongsun Zhi’s smiling appearance. She didn’t like Gongsun Zhi’s attitude anyway.

Moreover, the Gongsun family and the Hyeokryun family are not very close. From Hyeokryun Jeong’s point of view, there was no reason to tolerate rudeness.

“What!”

Jeok Se-hwa’s hand stopped Hyeokryun Jeong, who was about to step forward with a shout.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

Jeok Se-hwa said to Gongsun Zhi with a smile. Gongsun Zhi is a guest after all. If she makes a mistake, the problem will become serious.

“As you said, a noble position should be held by someone who deserves it. So, it should never happen that someone occupies a precious position just because they were born into a prestigious family. Isn’t that right?”

Gongsun Zhi’s eyebrows twitched slightly. As expected, Jeok Se-hwa is not an easy opponent. But Gongsun Zhi still had a few tricks left.

“Well, where does the innate nobility go? By the way, you must be worried too.”

Gongsun Zhi’s words were unexpected to Jeok Se-hwa. Looking at such Jeok Se-hwa, Gongsun Zhi said with an expression as if she was worried about herself.

“I heard that your boyfriend runs a Seowon [private academy]? Moreover, there are only children and old people, isn’t it something that young people shouldn’t do?”

It wasn’t that difficult to eavesdrop on Son Bin and the young girl’s conversation. And such efforts brought Gongsun Zhi enough things to use.

Seeing Jeok Se-hwa’s expression harden, Gongsun Zhi smiled in victory. But it was too early.