A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 467

467. Warning

Deep within the inner quarters of Pungwol Pavilion, the heads of the Five Great Merchant Guilds of the world gathered in a private chamber, unable to hide their surprise and bewilderment.

Ho Geum-heun of the Hoeyang Merchant Guild, Yang Won-jo of the Hwanam Merchant Guild, Wang Gang of the Jaebu Merchant Guild, Jin Rim of the Maun Merchant Guild, and even Deung Su-myeong of the Songam Merchant Guild were all in the same state.

The young scholar who had been serving them tea just moments ago was now wearing an overcoat, sitting in the master’s seat, and claiming that he had summoned them.

Although he wore a flamboyant and imposing overcoat and partially concealed his face with a jade fan, he was undoubtedly the same young scholar who had greeted them earlier. It was no wonder that Ho Gye-wi, Ho Geum-heun’s son, frowned.

“Are you saying…”

Swish.

Ho Gye-wi’s words were cut off by the chief retainer beside him, who raised a hand in front of Ho Gye-wi’s mouth.

Offended by the rude gesture, Ho Gye-wi glared at the chief retainer before flinching. He realized that his father, Ho Geum-heun, was looking at him with displeasure. Ho Gye-wi’s expression hardened, but Ho Geum-heun turned his gaze towards the young scholar.

“Did you just say that you summoned us, young master?”

Despite his age, Ho Geum-heun, the head of the Hoeyang Merchant Guild, spoke to Son Bin with considerable politeness. He was remarkably cautious, considering he had just heard a strikingly young scholar—one who appeared to be in charge of the Five Great Merchant Guilds—claim to have summoned them.

He couldn’t help but be cautious. He had a vague idea of the potential influence wielded by the ‘someone’ who had brought them here, and the implications of that influence.

Yang Won-jo, the obese head of the Hwanam Merchant Guild, Wang Gang of the Jaebu Merchant Guild, and Jin Rim, the gaunt head of the Maun Merchant Guild, harbored similar thoughts, though to varying degrees.

Those who didn’t understand the situation were the sons and daughters of the guild leaders. They openly displayed their displeasure towards Son Bin, the young scholar sitting in the master’s seat, who appeared to be no more than their own age.

‘Foolish ones.’

Ho Geum-heun inwardly shook his head as he observed his son, Ho Gye-wi, and the other young men and women. They knew nothing of the significance of a person who could influence the Imperial Eunuch [a powerful official in the imperial court], the Young Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, the Wudang Sect—one of the Four Great Righteous Sects [prominent martial arts schools]—the Black Serpent Brigade, the nightmare of Gangbuk, and even the Tang Clan, renowned for their poison.

‘Even if he’s just a proxy…’

The young scholar sitting in that seat represents their will. Therefore, one must not offend him.

“That’s right.”

Son Bin, the young scholar in the seat, replied.

“I am the one who summoned you to this place.”

His eyes, visible beyond the jade fan, were remarkably clear. Ho Geum-heun tried to recall what he had looked like earlier, but strangely, nothing came to mind. Only the image of him sitting before them, adorned in a flamboyant overcoat and concealing his face with a jade fan, remained vivid.

“There is no such thing as a causeless event in this world…”

The obese Yang Won-jo spoke to the young scholar in a rather leisurely voice.

“May I inquire as to the reason for arranging this meeting?”

His tone was polite, but the direct approach was a subtle form of pressure. Ho Geum-heun watched Son Bin’s reaction. The young scholar’s eyes, visible beyond the jade fan, seemed to smile slightly.

***

“A fan?”

Son Bin, holding a teacup, asked with a puzzled expression. Seorin nodded.

“Yes! Something that looks a bit scary. It would be even better if it had ghosts drawn on it.”

“Why ghosts of all things?”

No Gun asked from the side. He, too, was holding a teacup, enjoying the finest tea from Pungwol Pavilion.

“You could use something like a dragon or a tiger. Those are scarier than ghosts.”

“Not scary at all.”

Seorin replied, her eyes wide.

“Tigers have round eyes and are cute. And I’d love to meet a dragon someday. It would be so much fun to fly around on one!”

No Gun, who wasn’t afraid of tigers either, nodded, saying, ‘Oh, I guess you’re right.’ Son Bin quickly interjected.

“But why a fan?”

At those words, Seorin’s attention returned to the main topic.

“Because you look too nice, Brother.”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Son Bin gave a wry smile. But Seorin’s answer wasn’t over yet.

“Just looking at your face makes me happy, and I can’t help but smile. All the kids at the Seowon [private academy] are the same. But that’s not allowed where you’re going now. So, you need to cover your face. Like this, poof!”

Seorin mimed opening and closing a fan. She seemed to have been quite impressed by how the previous Jade Dragon or the young Jade Dragon had done it. In any case, Son Bin didn’t feel bad. How could he not be pleased that seeing him made people happy and smile?

“But I don’t think that’s necessary?”

“Hmm.”

Seorin looked troubled at Son Bin’s reply.

“Then maybe Su-yeon Noona [older sister] or Geom-hui Noona should do it…”

The moment Seorin’s ranking of scary people was revealed, Sarasvati interjected from the side.

“I’m in favor of the fan.”

Sarasvati, sitting at the next table, said as she gracefully raised her teacup.

“It’s not just the fan. People are influenced by things like the position of the seat and the height of the gaze. So, to ensure they make the right decisions, I think it’s fine to cover your face with a fan.”

Sarasvati, holding her teacup, smiled slightly at Son Bin.

“And if those guild leaders dare to look down on Raja-nim [a term of respect, like ‘lord’], I don’t think I can stand it.”

“That’s right.”

Princess Gyeonghui, who was sitting across from her, said. She didn’t even look at Son Bin as she spoke.

“If someone I use honorifics with gets looked down upon outside, I’ll be so angry I won’t be able to stand it.”

She muttered as if to herself, but it was essentially a warning. Seeing Princess Gyeonghui and Sarasvati like that, No Gun frowned.

“Why did you two come along?”

Sarasvati answered.

“We didn’t come along. It just so happens that we have the same destination.”

Still smiling gracefully, Sarasvati continued.

“And shouldn’t we personally confirm that Raja-nim’s request is being properly carried out?”

No Gun clicked his tongue. But he didn’t say anything more. Meanwhile, Son Bin turned to look at Sa Su-yeon and Dang Wol-ah. Sa Su-yeon smiled and said to Son Bin,

“Do as you wish, Son Gong-ja [young master].”

Dang Wol-ah seemed to think the same, nodding silently.

“Understood.”

Son Bin said with a sigh.

“But I will greet the guests myself.”

“You will, Brother? Why?”

Seorin looked at Son Bin and asked. Son Bin smiled gently.

“Because I want to get to know each and every one of them. I want to make sure I see them as living people, not just targets I need to warn.”

Son Bin said, looking at Seorin.

“Once you stop seeing people as people, that’s when you start becoming a monster yourself.”

“Wow.”

Seorin’s eyes widened in admiration.

“My teacher said something like that too!”

Seorin smiled brightly, looking pleased. Son Bin stroked Seorin’s head, smiling as well. Seeing her happy made him happy too.

“What about the clothes?”

Hyo-seol, the madam of Pungwol Pavilion and the vice-director of Yewon, asked. Her attire, which revealed much of her shoulders, was incredibly alluring, natural, and confident, befitting the madam of Pungwol Pavilion.

“If you haven’t decided on anything, shall I prepare something?”

“No, there’s no need to…”

Son Bin was about to decline when Seorin shouted first.

“Something fluffy would be nice! Like something with a lot of fur. The one you wore in Seojang was cool!”

Hyo-seol smiled at Seorin’s gestures as she waved her hands from side to side.

“I see. Then I’ll prepare something like that.”

“Oh, but I left that outfit in Cheonchuk?”

“This is Nanjing. And this is Pungwol Pavilion.”

Hyo-seol winked with a smile.

“If it’s something wonderful, we can get anything.”

Hyo-seol’s demeanor as she slightly bowed was incredibly charming. Son Bin unconsciously averted his gaze. He couldn’t even remember when he had developed this habit.

***

“Among you.”

Son Bin, who concealed his face with a plain jade fan, spoke in a calm tone.

“It seems there is someone who is colluding with Gongson Geuk to prepare a rebellion.”

A heavy shock fell upon the room. Those who were plotting, those who had sensed it, those who had turned vague suspicions into certainty, and those who knew nothing all had their faces harden instantly.

“A, a rebellion…”

Deung Su-myeong of the Songam Merchant Guild said with a bewildered expression. He, who had arrived last, seemed to be unaware of the exact situation. He probably didn’t know the meaning of being guided to the seat of honor, or in whose name the other guild leaders had been summoned.

“I have no intention of finding out who it is.”

Son Bin’s words continued from behind the jade fan.

“I will not tell you to stop, nor will I tell you to cut ties with Gongson Geuk. After all, you will move according to your own interests. However…”

Swish.

Son Bin leaned back in his chair. He looked at the heads of the Five Great Merchant Guilds and said,

“I intend to hold you accountable for the consequences.”

The guild leaders felt their hairs stand on end. The word ‘rebellion’ carried immense weight. Considering that there was someone in this room who had been summoned by the Imperial Eunuch, this was essentially a warning from the Imperial Court. How long did the silence last?

Clatter.

“I understand your intentions well enough, Gong-ja.”

Jin Rim, gaunt, set down his teacup and said. The head of the Maun Merchant Guild looked at Son Bin with fierce eyes.

“However, from the perspective of our Maun Merchant Guild, this is truly a difficult situation. Even if it concerns a matter as grave as a rebellion, who would accept being abruptly summoned and subjected to unwarranted reprimands when I have not even the slightest connection to it?”

Jin Rim, the head of the Maun Merchant Guild, did not hide his discomfort.

“If it is such an important matter, you should investigate more carefully and clearly reveal the wrongdoing. Instead of hiding yourself, mocking innocent guilds, and using rogue bandits to threaten us.”

At his words, the other guild leaders’ eyes gleamed. It wasn’t that Jin Rim, the head of the Maun Merchant Guild, didn’t understand the situation. The seasoned Jin Rim was well aware of the influence and significance of the young scholar before him, or the entity that had put this young man forward as a proxy.

That was why he was taking a gamble now. If he started to lose from the beginning, it would be even more difficult to turn things around.

Moreover, Jin Rim had the advantage of being the only one among the five guild leaders who had been threatened by the Black Serpent Brigade, a rogue faction. If one were to be strict, the justification was clearly on Jin Rim’s side.

“Hmm.”

Ho Geum-heun, the head of the Hoeyang Merchant Guild, nodded slightly. The other guild leaders also nodded with nonchalant expressions, fiddling with their teacups. But inwardly, they were watching Son Bin’s reaction with tension.

Rustle.

A slight smile flickered in Son Bin’s eyes, visible beyond the jade fan.

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

The guild leaders’ eyebrows twitched. Son Bin’s clear voice flowed out without the slightest hesitation.

“This is not a government office to judge right and wrong. And I am neither a strict judge nor an official who must be fair. So, even if you fabricate the anger of an innocent person who has been wrongly accused, it will be of no use to me.”

“That’s…”

It was the moment Jin Rim was about to say something.

“I am now.”

Jin Rim was silenced by Son Bin’s quiet voice. Even Jin Rim himself didn’t know why he had shut his mouth. But he couldn’t help it. Son Bin’s eyes, visible beyond the jade fan, were shining so intensely that they seemed to pierce through him.

“I am warning you.”

Son Bin said from behind the jade fan. No longer could any smile be found in his eyes.

“This is a very troublesome matter for me. And it is also a very uncomfortable matter. I would rather…”

The guild leaders could clearly tell that Son Bin’s words were sincere. Son Bin’s eyes gleamed from behind the jade fan as he continued.

“It would be easier for me to just replace the Five Great Merchant Guilds.”

Those words were unbelievable. But the guild leaders could neither laugh nor object. The seasoned guild leaders, who had navigated countless experiences and schemes, were rendered speechless before the eyes of a young scholar.

“So, you must consider the meaning of this warning very carefully.”

Son Bin finished speaking. But no one opened their mouth.

‘Hmm.’

Ho Geum-heun, the head of the Hoeyang Merchant Guild, held his teacup, unable to hide his discomfort. Jin Rim, the head of the Maun Merchant Guild, had failed in his gamble. Moreover, he had even provoked the anger of the young scholar.

But regardless of the circumstances, the young man’s words that he could replace the Five Great Merchant Guilds were unsettling. The position of the heads of the Five Great Merchant Guilds was by no means something to be taken lightly.

Such reactions were even more pronounced among the younger generation. Ho Geum-heun’s son, Yang Won-jo’s daughter, and Deung Su-myeong’s children all clearly felt insulted, even though they themselves had contributed nothing to the Five Great Merchant Guilds.

As such an uncomfortable silence flowed, the door opened. And Hyo-seol, the madam of this Pungwol Pavilion, appeared.

‘Oh, the madam!’

Ho Geum-heun, as well as the other guild leaders, all had their eyes light up. In the midst of the grim atmosphere, the appearance of the beautiful Hyo-seol captivated everyone’s attention. And there was also the expectation that Hyo-seol’s appearance would change the flow of the conversation.

Step, step.

Hyo-seol carefully entered. Unlike before, her hair ornaments and clothes were even more flamboyant and beautiful. Everyone was unable to take their eyes off the fragrance and beauty she exuded. Hyo-seol approached Son Bin with light steps. And she stood before Son Bin and bowed.

Rustle.

‘Gasp.’

Ho Geum-heun, the obese Yang Won-jo, and the gaunt Jin Rim were all surprised. Wang Gang and Deung Su-myeong were the same. Hyo-seol was kneeling on one knee on the floor, bowing her head. Hyo-seol, the madam of Pungwol Pavilion, who could not be obtained with any treasure or power in the world, was paying her respects to the young scholar.

But the surprise was not over yet. Hyo-seol, who raised her head, smiled softly while kneeling.

“There is an urgent message for the guests here, Master.”

Hyo-seol’s short title threw the five guild leaders into shock at once. Who in the world could dare to hear the word ‘Master’ from Hyo-seol? That was as unbelievable as seeing Hyo-seol paying such great respect now.

However, Son Bin, who received the title, groaned inwardly while holding the jade fan. Originally, Hyo-seol was just supposed to come in and bow lightly. This great courtesy, and the sudden title of ‘Master,’ were completely unplanned.

‘Why all of a sudden…’

The reason was unknown, but it was clear that Hyo-seol had intended it. The playfulness was overflowing in Hyo-seol’s eyes as she looked at him and smiled.

“Hmm.”

Son Bin cleared his throat slightly. The serious atmosphere from before was nowhere to be found, and people’s gazes were pouring onto Hyo-seol and Son Bin with shock, jealousy, and blatant curiosity.

He thought that Hyo-seol’s destructive power, which could blow away the situation he had worked so hard to create with just a single gesture and a single word, was truly amazing. Perhaps it was just the instinctive limitations of people.

“Let them in.”

Son Bin said in a seemingly calm tone. Hyo-seol bowed her head once more while kneeling, as if she had been waiting. The smooth skin and black hair of her shoulders, which were almost exposed, and the glittering hairpin and red gemstone were particularly dazzling.

Rustle.

As Hyo-seol got up, other attendants came in as if they had been waiting. On the antique small desks that the attendants were carrying, there were letters.

Clatter, clatter.

Five small desks were placed in front of the five guild leaders. Ho Geum-heun, the head of the Hoeyang Merchant Guild, looked down at the thin letter placed in front of him. It was clearly a letter for him. It was a letter from the guild to inform him of urgent news, sealed in the pre-arranged manner by his trusted aide guarding the front of Pungwol Pavilion.

‘What urgent message is there now…’

While Ho Geum-heun and the other guild leaders frowned and wondered, Hyo-seol came and stood next to Son Bin. When Son Bin glanced at her, Hyo-seol smiled. Son Bin cleared his throat slightly and looked forward again. Hyo-seol also turned her head towards the guild leaders.

“Open it.”

Son Bin, who had regained his composure, said in a calm tone.

“I’m fine with it.”

If the person in front of them was the Young Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace or the Imperial Eunuch, they would have ignored even the most urgent message. Looking at a letter in front of an important guest was a definite rudeness.

However, the young scholar had given his permission, and the guild leaders were in a bad mood due to the insults they had received from him. Ho Geum-heun cleared his throat slightly.

“Ahem. Then…”

Ho Geum-heun reached out his hand towards the letter, and the other guild leaders also opened the letters that had arrived in front of them. And after a while.

Rustle.

The letter made a sound in Ho Geum-heun’s hand. At the same time, the elderly Ho Geum-heun contorted his face as much as possible.

“Wh, what is this…”

Ho Geum-heun gritted his teeth. But he couldn’t stop the groans that were leaking out. It wasn’t just him. All five guild leaders in this place were turning pale.

Rustle.

Watching their expressions, Son Bin lightly waved his jade fan. His gaze towards the owners of the five most prominent guilds in the world was calm.

(Author’s Note)

Fortunately, I didn’t put any pictures on the fan.

If I had carved something like a dragon, Son Bin would have been too embarrassed to live.