A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 372

372. The Two Women’s Deal

Tang Hwa-ryun, the General Military Officer of the Tang Clan, quickened her pace. Even before reaching the main gate, she could smell the distinct odor of horses.

Thud.

Rounding the corner, she saw the group from the Western Region’s horse trading company and the Deputy Chief of Guest Services.

“Ah, here comes the General Military Officer,” the Deputy Chief of Guest Services said with delight, spotting Tang Hwa-ryun. Tang Hwa-ryun approached them with a somewhat haughty expression.

“Welcome, General Military Officer,” the Deputy Chief of Guest Services bowed deeply, clasping his hands. The head of the Western Region’s horse trading company, standing beside him, also bowed to Tang Hwa-ryun.

“It is an honor to meet the Tang Clan’s General Military Officer.”

His pronunciation was a bit strange, but his demeanor was quite respectful. Tang Hwa-ryun recognized that he was a trained martial artist.

Tang Hwa-ryun returned his greeting with a deliberately gentle smile.

The other party hadn’t even bothered to introduce himself, which he should have done, but Tang Hwa-ryun had no intention of making an issue of his rudeness. She realized he was no ordinary horse trading company head.

“I heard you had something to tell me.”

“Yes. First, this…”

The head of the Western Region’s horse trading company turned to look behind him. Tang Hwa-ryun followed his gaze.

The Tang Clan’s main gate was filled with horses, each a glossy, superior breed from the Western Region.

“This is our small gift to the Great Chieftain.”

Neigh.

The sound of horses snorting came from all directions. The horses were uneasy in the unfamiliar surroundings.

“I’ll tell you in advance, this is just the beginning. More horses and gifts will arrive here in the future.”

The horse trading company head’s eyes were full of pride. Tang Hwa-ryun smiled and said,

“Could it be that you’ve come to the wrong place? We have no connection to anyone called the Great Chieftain.”

She said that on purpose, to gauge his intentions, knowing he wouldn’t make such a basic mistake.

“That is not the case.”

As expected, the head of the horse trading company from the Western Region, with an unwavering expression, took a rather thick letter from his chest and politely handed it to Tang Hwa-ryun.

“If you look at this, you will fully understand the situation.”

Tang Hwa-ryun reached out to receive the letter. It was then.

Swoosh.

With an incredibly light movement, hard to believe from a horse trading company head, he approached Tang Hwa-ryun. Tang Hwa-ryun’s subordinates immediately showed their vigilance, but Tang Hwa-ryun gestured for them to stand down.

Tang Hwa-ryun stared at the horse trading company head with a sharp gaze. The head smiled and said in a very small voice, so low that only Tang Hwa-ryun could hear.

“I advise you to read it alone. It would be better if the fact that the Tang Clan and the Potala Palace [a major Tibetan Buddhist monastery] exchanged something is not known.”

After whispering those words, the horse trading company head immediately stepped back as Tang Hwa-ryun received the letter. Then, he clasped his hands and bowed deeply.

“I am pleased to have completed my mission. Then, I will take my leave.”

With a bright smile, the horse trading company head immediately turned around and headed for the main gate. Tang Hwa-ryun’s subordinate looked at her as if asking, ‘Shall I stop him?’ but Tang Hwa-ryun shook her head.

The head of the horse trading company from the Western Region left the letter and horses behind and leisurely left the Tang Clan. And Tang Hwa-ryun could understand what the head’s words, ‘It’s just the beginning,’ meant.

The horses, literally, were constantly pouring in. Each one was a glossy, superior horse from the Western Region.

* * *

“Hoo.”

The Tang Clan’s young General Military Officer, Tang Hwa-ryun, sitting in her office, let out a deep sigh. It was neither a sigh of relief nor a sigh of disappointment.

“Really, now they’re even bothering me with this.”

Tang Hwa-ryun said in a voice full of anger and annoyance. There was no one to hear, but the surging annoyance was involuntarily turning into a voice and popping out.

“What am I supposed to do with sending so many?”

Her intuition that a very troublesome and cumbersome thing had happened was correct. However, what she didn’t know was that it was a much bigger and more troublesome problem than she had expected.

“He himself, and even Wol-ah, don’t even send a single letter…”

The letter delivered by the head of the horse trading company from the Western Region was not written by Son Bin, nor was it sent by her younger sister, Tang Wol-ah.

But she was shocked that the person who sent the letter was the head of the Potala Palace, the pinnacle of Western Region Tantrism [a school of esoteric Buddhism].

Rustle.

Tang Hwa-ryun sighed as she looked at the documents in front of her. This was a transcription of the list of ‘gifts to the Great Chieftain’ from that letter.

The original letter sent by the head of the Potala Palace is a secret that should not even be known to exist. If it becomes known that she received a letter and gifts with extreme courtesy from Western Region Tantrism, even if it is not for the Tang Clan but for Son Bin, she cannot avoid the suspicion of the Jianghu [the martial arts world] martial artists.

Moreover, it is such a huge incident that, in the past, the government and the court would have stepped in and imposed some strange charges.

“Is it a lot again?”

Tang Hwa-ryun gritted her teeth, recalling Son Bin, the culprit of all these events.

What was sent from the Western Region was not only a huge number of horses. There were also many rare items, Tantric scriptures, and thangkas [Tibetan Buddhist paintings on cloth].

All of them were Western Region’s gifts for the ‘Great Chieftain’ Son Bin. However, all the treasures were to be sent to Yewon, so it was not a difficult task.

The problem is the horses. Tang Hwa-ryun stared at the number written in the letter as if to pierce through it.

‘More than 30,000 horses, how can such a number come out?’

The number of horses sent from the Western Region as gifts to the ‘Great Chieftain’ exceeded 30,000. The scale of horses paid as tribute from the Western Region is about 10,000, so 30,000 is a number that would only come out in trade between countries.

Even now, a procession of horses consisting of 100 horses each was coming to the Tang Clan along the Ancient Tea Horse Road [a network of caravan routes]. The expression of the Deputy Chief of Internal Affairs, ‘There is no end,’ was really accurate.

‘If I release this all at once, the market will collapse.’

The horses of the Western Region are superior horses that everyone covets. Unlike the horses used to travel the Ancient Tea Horse Road, their value as warhorses is guaranteed to be the best anywhere.

The problem is that there are too many horses. Already, many Sichuan horse trading companies are giving up their business this year, and existing horses on the market are forming ridiculously low prices.

The horses pouring into the Tang Clan are already paralyzing the economy of the Sichuan horse trading companies.

‘Maintenance costs are also a problem…’

Just managing 30,000 horses costs a lot of money. If it were another horse trading company other than the Tang Clan, 30,000 horses would not be a blessing but a disaster.

Even the Tang Clan would bear a huge burden if this situation continues, let alone profit.

Of course, there is also a way to hand it over to the Five Great Merchant Guilds. But in this situation, it is clear that it will be handed over at a huge bargain price. Tang Hwa-ryun herself can never tolerate such a deal.

‘This man, really…’

Even after doing this, he will surely not know what he has done wrong. Tang Hwa-ryun bit her lip, recalling Son Bin’s blank expression.

‘Haa, it’s a relief to hear from Wol-ah.’

The only consolation is that she indirectly learned of her younger sister Tang Wol-ah’s safety.

Perhaps Son Bin and his party also sent a letter, but in the current situation, there is no guarantee when a personal letter will arrive. This is because the ‘gifts’ sent from the Potala Palace are the top priority for the Western Region horse trading companies.

Even the Ancient Tea Horse Road is said to be as crowded as a marketplace, so it is fortunate that she learned of the safety of Son Bin and his party thanks to the gifts from the Potala Palace.

“Hoo.”

Tang Hwa-ryun rested her forehead with her long, slender fingers and sighed again. She didn’t even realize that she was always thinking about her younger sister Wol-ah and Son Bin whenever she had time these days.

“General Military Officer.”

A subordinate’s voice was heard from outside the office.

“Come in.”

Rustle.

The door opened and the subordinate came in and bowed. He immediately said what he had to say.

“The second guest wishes to see the General Military Officer.”

“Her?”

Tang Hwa-ryun asked without realizing it. The ‘second guest’ refers to Princess Gyeonghui.

“Why?”

“She didn’t say what it was about.”

Tang Hwa-ryun frowned and thought for a moment. But it wasn’t long. As far as she knew, Princess Gyeonghui was definitely not the kind of person who would try to meet her for something trivial.

“Shall I bring her here?”

“No, I’ll go.”

She was about to take a walk anyway. Tang Hwa-ryun got up from her seat.

* * *

Princess Gyeonghui and her party were staying in a mansion located deep within the Tang Clan.

From the outside, it just looks like a large garden, but it was a secret mansion with traps and mechanisms of the Tang Clan hidden everywhere.

“The Princess is such a noble person that she doesn’t seem to know how to treat a visitor,” Tang Hwa-ryun said in a rather sarcastic tone, not even accepting a cup of tea. But Princess Gyeonghui didn’t budge.

“You are the owner of this house. It’s not something you should say to me, a guest, is it?”

Princess Gyeonghui and Tang Hwa-ryun’s gazes met sharply. Tang Hwa-ryun’s momentum was not something that ordinary people could handle, but Princess Gyeonghui did not back down an inch.

In the end, it was Tang Hwa-ryun who backed down. Oppressing an irresistible opponent is not Tang Hwa-ryun’s way, no matter how annoying the opponent is, even if it is Princess Gyeonghui.

“So, why did you call me?”

Tang Hwa-ryun was using honorifics to Princess Gyeonghui, though without any respect.

“It’s about the horses, right?”

Tang Hwa-ryun was not surprised by Princess Gyeonghui’s words. She knew that she was not trapped here without knowing anything.

Her party, Cheongranggeom Wi Ga-jin or the maid Hang-ah, are not incompetent. No, in the first place, Princess Gyeonghui is not staying here because she has succumbed to Tang Hwa-ryun.

“So?”

“I can solve it.”

“How?”

Tang Hwa-ryun’s short words were telling her uncomfortable feelings as they were. And Princess Gyeonghui didn’t care about that either.

“It’s simple. Sell them off.”

Tang Hwa-ryun chuckled.

“To whom? Do you know what 30,000 horses mean?”

“I don’t know.”

Princess Gyeonghui’s answer was unexpected. A different light flashed in Tang Hwa-ryun’s eyes, and Princess Gyeonghui continued.

“But I know a place that will buy 30,000 horses. A place that has more money than anyone else in the world and needs warhorses endlessly.”

Disappointment settled in Tang Hwa-ryun’s eyes. It was because she realized what Princess Gyeonghui was saying.

“You’re foolish. Do you think I haven’t thought about that?”

The place that needs warhorses endlessly and has more money than anyone else in the world is the imperial court, the imperial family.

But that was also a place that Tang Hwa-ryun had already ruled out.

“The imperial family is a place that thinks it is the master of the world. You’ll end up being robbed of everything, let alone selling it. No, if you’re wrong, you might be framed for treason. The imperial family is a group that will do anything to get what it wants.”

Tang Hwa-ryun’s words were full of distrust of the court and the imperial family. There is no need to go far. The incident that happened in Huangshan a while ago clearly shows that.

But it wasn’t something she could dare to say in front of the imperial princess, but Princess Gyeonghui didn’t care.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Princess Gyeonghui said, looking straight at Tang Hwa-ryun.

“If you don’t know anything, that’s what happens. But…”

With a faint smile, Princess Gyeonghui said.

“I know. I know who to approach in the court and how to proceed with the work.”

That was not just vague confidence. The smile that appeared on Princess Gyeonghui’s lips was a clear conviction.

“Leave it to me. I’ll make the deal on better terms than anyone else, no, even better than you can imagine.”

Tang Hwa-ryun was silent for a moment at Princess Gyeonghui’s firm words. But it wasn’t long.

“You can’t publicly reveal your identity, can you?”

Officially, Princess Gyeonghui was sent to the north. She shouldn’t even show her face, let alone reveal her identity to a high-ranking official of the court.

“Do you think I was favored by the Emperor just because of my status as a princess?”

Princess Gyeonghui scoffed.

“I’m capable. And I know how to get things done. Of course, it’s also because I’m beautiful and attractive.”

Princess Gyeonghui said without any shame about self-praise.

“How are you going to do it?”

Tang Hwa-ryun said quietly, facing Princess Gyeonghui’s eyes.

“What do you want?”

Compensation for disposing of 30,000 warhorses. Princess Gyeonghui must want something. She wouldn’t solve Tang Hwa-ryun’s problem for nothing.

“Two things. First, let me move freely.”

Tang Hwa-ryun frowned.

“I don’t remember restraining you? You can leave this place whenever you want, whether I allow it or not.”

That was not a lie. With Cheongranggeom Wi Ga-jin or the maid Hang-ah, Princess Gyeonghui can leave this place at any time.

“Yes. But I want your permission. Because…”

Princess Gyeonghui said, looking straight at Tang Hwa-ryun.

“He entrusted my safety to you.”

Tang Hwa-ryun couldn’t hide her surprise. ‘He’ is Son Bin. In other words, Princess Gyeonghui made it clear that this was not to go against Son Bin’s will.

“You acknowledge him. Unexpectedly.”

“Yes.”

Princess Gyeonghui did not deny Tang Hwa-ryun’s barbed words.

“He is one of the only two people in the world that I acknowledge. And for now, he’s also my Imperial Son-in-law.”

Tang Hwa-ryun was slightly annoyed by the afterthought, but now was not the time to ask about it.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“Anything.”

Princess Gyeonghui answered without hesitation.

“I want to test how far I can go. But whatever it is, I promise it won’t harm you.”

The words ‘I will test myself’ greatly moved Tang Hwa-ryun’s heart. There was a time when she herself had the same desire.

It would be even more so for someone like Princess Gyeonghui. Rather, it is strange that she has been still until now.

The problem is whether to allow this.

Clearly, Son Bin asked Tang Hwa-ryun to take care of Princess Gyeonghui. It was probably a meaning of protection rather than restraint, but it certainly included surveillance of Princess Gyeonghui’s safety.

“What about Cheonghye?”

Cheonghye is a young outer disciple of Emei [a Buddhist monastery and martial arts school]. Still, Cheonghye felt a deep sense of responsibility for Princess Gyeonghui, who was once her junior sister, or rather, for not guiding her on the right path.

In addition, Cheonghye had already received permission from Beopheo Shinni to move as she pleased, regardless of Emei’s closure. Of course, she could not use the name and authority of Emei, but it was not a big problem for her, an outer disciple.

“Of course, together.”

Princess Gyeonghui smiled at Tang Hwa-ryun’s question.

“You could say she’s my supervisor, but she’s also a useful person to me.”

In fact, she couldn’t completely trust Cheonghye. If she was a clever Princess Gyeonghui, it would be easy to deceive her.

But at least it would be a minimum safety device. Tang Hwa-ryun asked again.

“What’s the second thing?”

That question meant that she would accept Princess Gyeonghui’s will. Princess Gyeonghui smiled. But the smile was chilling.

“Get rid of that awkward honorific. It makes me feel bad. That’s the second condition.”

“Hoo.”

This time, Tang Hwa-ryun laughed. She looked straight at Princess Gyeonghui and said.

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

The eyes of the two women were sharply intertwined. It was so brutal that you couldn’t even think that they had just finished a deal, but this was actually the true 모습 [Korean word for ‘appearance’ or ‘figure’] of the two people.

A natural 모습 without any pretense, courtesy, or even sympathy.

“General Military Officer.”

It was a subordinate’s voice that broke the silence. Tang Hwa-ryun turned her head.

“What is it?”

“…It’s urgent.”

Tang Hwa-ryun noticed that the subordinate’s voice was somehow trembling. A sense of foreboding struck her, but Tang Hwa-ryun calmly turned her head and said to Princess Gyeonghui.

“Ask for what you need. I’ll prepare everything possible.”

Princess Gyeonghui nodded lightly. Tang Hwa-ryun also bowed lightly and came out.

Clack.

Tang Hwa-ryun, who closed the door, looked at the subordinate who was bowing in front of her.

“What is it?”

Rustle.

The subordinate took out several letters from his chest.

“These are letters from the Western Region.”

“Really?”

Tang Hwa-ryun was delighted. It was because she recognized that the letters written on the letters were familiar. It was none other than her younger sister Tang Wol-ah and Son Bin’s handwriting.

But the subordinate’s words were not over yet.

“And the horse trading companies that just came from the Western Region…”

The subordinate bit his lip slightly and continued.

“…They say they heard rumors that the Great Chieftain is dead.”

“What?”

Tang Hwa-ryun’s movement, who was about to receive the letter, stopped. She frowned and glared at the subordinate.

But the subordinate closed his eyes and gritted his teeth instead of answering. Terrible anxiety and confusion struck Tang Hwa-ryun.

(Author’s words)

Son Bin, who feels itchy on his ears and the back of his head for some reason.