I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 131

“For you to grace this humble abode with your presence, I, in my insignificance, am overwhelmed with honor.”

Jo Gwang-yun prostrated himself on the floor with a thud.

He expected to be told to rise immediately, but no sound came. He wanted to lift his head to check, but he couldn’t commit such disrespect, so he waited patiently.

After a long while, the old man’s voice was heard.

“Rise.”

He raised his body, but his head remained bowed.

“You’re a merchant?”

“Yes, I am.”

“What is your name?”

“Jo Gwang-yun, I am called.”

The officials who had come with the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs murmured among themselves.

“Could he be that Jo Gwang-yun from Jo Ga Manor?”

“Yes, it is I, sir.”

The murmuring grew louder.

“Unbelievable… I thought he was just a peddler selling silk, but he’s a wealthy merchant…”

At that moment, a military officer approached, bent over, and whispered something. The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs then smacked his forehead.

“Ah, that’s right. I almost forgot. I heard the woman’s attire was extraordinary…”

“A wealthy merchant? That’s an overstatement.”

As Jo Gwang-yun feigned humility, an official said,

“Are you going to do this here? Quickly, escort the Director inside.”

“I apologize. Please, come inside.”

The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs turned back and raised his hand.

“Everyone, wait here. I’ll be speaking with him alone.”

Everyone bowed their heads and stepped back, and the Director strode into the inner quarters.

Jo Gwang-yun said to the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs, who was seated at the head of the table,

“I will bring tea.”

“That’s alright. Just sit down.”

He could tell how much the Emperor had pressured him. Questions poured out without a moment’s hesitation.

“You’ve heard what happened, haven’t you?”

“Yes. I heard that my foolish younger sister committed a great act of disrespect to His Majesty the Emperor. It is all my fault, so I will take the punishment.”

“Disrespect or punishment, it’s all in the past. That’s not what’s important.”

Jo Gwang-yun already knew what was coming, but he feigned ignorance and widened his eyes.

“Could it be that my younger sister committed a greater wrong than disrespect?”

The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs waved his hand.

“No. His Majesty has taken a liking to your sister. Do you understand what this means?”

Jo Gwang-yun immediately put on a dismayed expression.

“H-How could such a thing…?”

“Are you unaware? I heard your sister’s beauty is heaven-sent. Having faced such a beauty, wouldn’t the Emperor give her his heart?”

The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs looked at Jo Gwang-yun’s blank expression and continued.

“It’s already irreversible, so accept it. More than that, I heard the two of you are sworn siblings. Tell me in detail how you became connected. I must know the past of anyone entering the Imperial Family.”

When Jo Gwang-yun didn’t respond, still with a blank expression, the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs burst out.

“Hey! Wake up! This is not the time to be like this!”

Only then did he blink and open his mouth.

“I, I apologize. What did you say…?”

“Tell me how you became connected with your sister.”

“Ah, yes.”

Jo Gwang-yun pretended to search his memory and said,

“Zhejiang Province, famous for its Yongding tea, is my sister’s hometown. Her biological father wasn’t very wealthy, but he owned a few tenant farms and cultivated tea. They had no trouble making a living.”

“So, she’s a commoner?”

“Yes, she is.”

“What is your connection to her?”

“The quality of the Yongding tea he cultivated was top-notch, so I monopolized it. He trusted me and didn’t trade with any other merchants.”

“But how did she suffer an accident?”

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but Zhejiang Province has heavy rains every year. To minimize the damage from the rain, they managed the tea fields even when torrential rain was pouring down. Then, unfortunately…”

“Yongding tea is cultivated on the mountainside, so…”

“Yes. The heavy rain caused a landslide, and both of them were swept away.”

“Hmm…”

Up to this point, it seemed plausible, and the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs nodded.

“Seeing that you took the child in, you must have been very fond of her.”

“Yes, that’s right. I had been watching her since she was very young, so she took to me well.”

The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs watched Jo Gwang-yun carefully.

Now, he had to confirm the most important thing.

“I heard your sister’s beauty is heaven-sent… Could it be that you took her as a concubine…?”

Jo Gwang-yun quickly waved his hand.

“Absolutely not. To me, she is still like a foolish child. And considering my bond with her biological father, it is absolutely impossible. It would be a sin punishable by heaven.”

Feeling a slight hint of annoyance, the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs cleared his throat a few times.

“Ahem… Even so, aren’t all men the same? When they see a beautiful woman, they naturally want to possess her.”

“I am not so heartless. I only thought of finding a good man and marrying my sister off as his legal wife. A concubine? Never!”

“Then what should we do? The Emperor likes her, so we can’t say no, but we can’t put a commoner’s daughter in the Empress’s seat. Even as a Noble Lady, she would essentially be a concubine in the harem. In the secular world, she would be a mistress.”

Jo Gwang-yun suddenly jumped up and prostrated himself.

“Sir, I beg you to show mercy. My sister cannot handle such a glorious status. She is just a humble commoner who deserves to meet an ordinary and sincere man and live an ordinary life.”

He had to show that he had no ulterior motives. If he aroused even a little suspicion, his grand plan might be ruined.

“Impossible! It’s because she’s no ordinary woman that this has happened. You have no choice but to accept it. Are you perhaps thinking of her as just the Emperor’s concubine and acting like this?”

“No, I am not. How could I belittle the honor of having her name on the Imperial Family’s register as a concubine? However, I have ears and have heard many stories. I heard that in the Imperial Family, one wrong word can cost you your head. How could my foolish sister survive in such a place?”

“I’m more worried about you than your sister.”

Finally, it came out. The real reason why the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs, whose main job was to monitor the maternal relatives, came here in person.

“I am too foolish to understand what you mean.”

“If you were just an ordinary merchant, I wouldn’t have sat here this long. But if you’re the head of Jo Ga Manor, the story changes. Aren’t you a great merchant who roams the Central Plains like your own home? If your sister receives the Emperor’s favor, you can use it to manipulate all sorts of things. You’re now a maternal relative!”

Jo Gwang-yun slammed his head on the floor again.

“I am devastated that I have to be subjected to such misunderstandings.”

“Even if you don’t want it, those who want to get close to your sister will come looking for you. Do you think you can stop them?”

There was a risk that Yang Ryeo-cheong’s hands and feet would be tied even before she entered the Imperial Palace. Jo Gwang-yun had to overcome this crisis well.

“Are you saying that people will come to me with money and treasures, asking for favors?”

The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs nodded.

“There are plenty of those kinds of guys.”

“How much do you think they’ll bring?”

“What?”

“I mean, how much money will those who want to ask me for favors bring as bribes? How much do you think I would need to be moved?”

“Ah…!”

The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs realized the true meaning of Jo Gwang-yun’s absurd question, and a smile spread across his face.

Perhaps the only maternal relative who would not be swayed by bribes was the man in front of him.

Rumor had it that he already possessed enormous wealth. If such a person were to risk taking bribes, even if the high-ranking officials of the court gave their entire fortune, it would not be enough.

“Sir, what I am worried about is only my sister’s safety and peace. As a merchant, I know how foolish it is to get involved in politics.”

With just one petition accusing the maternal relatives of wielding power, he would have to close his business and risk disappearing like dew on the execution ground.

As a merchant without political power, the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs thought that Jo Gwang-yun’s concerns were reasonable and believed that his current appearance was genuine.

“Don’t change that mind. That’s the way for you to live.”

With the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs having finished what he had to say, Jo Gwang-yun clung to him once more.

“Sir, is there really no way to change His Majesty’s mind? I cannot bear to watch my sister live like a lamp in the wind [a precarious and vulnerable existence]. Please, consider it.”

“Enough.”

The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs looked a little pitiful at Jo Gwang-yun’s appearance, which seemed like he was about to burst into tears.

“It’s what the Emperor has decided. There is no one under the heavens who can change the Emperor’s decision. Accept it and prepare well.”

The Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs patted Jo Gwang-yun on the shoulder and left. Jo Gwang-yun just stared blankly at his retreating figure, unable to move.

When the murmuring of people returning outside the room ended, Jo Gwang-yun relaxed.

“I wonder if the heart of an older brother who worries about his sister was properly revealed…”

* * *

Although the Imperial Guards still occupied the outside of the house, their attitude was not the same as before.

With even the Director of the Court of the Imperial Clan Affairs having visited, Yang Ryeo-cheong’s entry into the Imperial Palace was certain, and it was revealed that her older brother was a wealthy man from the Central Plains.

Now, they were no longer ordinary people but a Noble Lady and a maternal relative, so their heads could be blown off with just a few words from the two of them.

“Sir, where are you going?”

When Jo Gwang-yun came outside, a military officer ran up, bowed his head, and asked.

“Was there an order to confirm my whereabouts?”

“Ah, no. I was just wondering if we should assign one of our guards to protect you…”

Jo Gwang-yun smiled and said politely. He had to show a polite demeanor. Weren’t these people the eyes and ears of the Imperial Family?

“Thank you for your consideration, but I also have a bodyguard. I’m fine.”

Jo Gwang-yun and Gu Seung moved their feet while receiving their greetings.

As he headed to the club, Jo Gwang-yun said quietly to Gu Seung.

“We’ve got a tail.”

“Yes. They’re following us too openly, aren’t they?”

“Because they’re not a martial artist. It must be someone from the Imperial Family.”

“What should we do?”

“You follow that guy. I’ll just grab a bowl of noodles and go back.”

“Can’t Master shake him off easily?”

“We have to be careful now. It doesn’t make sense for an ordinary merchant to shake off a trained guy. We have to avoid doing anything that deviates from the ordinary.”

“Yes. Then I’ll drop out around here.”

When they came to a fork in the road, Gu Seung turned sharply, and Jo Gwang-yun continued walking leisurely.

The tail seemed a little flustered when the two separated, but he followed him anyway.

Jo Gwang-yun stopped by the nearest inn, devoured a bowl of noodles and dumplings, and returned straight away.

Now, Gu Seung would be following that guy.

Gu Seung followed the man.

After confirming that Jo Gwang-yun had entered the house, the man watched for a long time, and when he showed no signs of coming out again, he moved his feet.

If he was from the Imperial Family, he would be heading to the Imperial Palace.

Judging from the man’s restrained gait and body movements, he had definitely learned martial arts. However, Gu Seung used his internal energy to leak a weak aura, but he didn’t notice it, so he was definitely a guy who hadn’t undergone internal energy training.

‘Is he a military officer?’

He guessed that he was a soldier of the Imperial Family and followed him, but the man’s direction was not towards the Imperial Palace.

The place the man arrived at was a huge mansion with high walls.

‘Where is this place?’

After confirming that the man had entered the house, Gu Seung circled around the area to assess the situation and grabbed a busy passerby.

“Do you happen to know whose house this is?”

The passerby scanned Gu Seung up and down and chuckled.

“You look neat, but you’re a country bumpkin. You don’t even know where the one below all and above all lives.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Ah, I mean this is the house of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Wei Zhongxian, the most powerful man in this country.”

Gu Seung’s mouth dropped open.

End