I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 147

< Two Adorable Families 2 >

Jo Gwang-yun smiled at the two people who couldn’t close their mouths.

“Why? Is that not enough? Then three times… Ah, I don’t know the wealth of the two families, so it might be rude to ask for too much. You might feel like I’m looking down on you.”

Even though he made a joke, the two couldn’t respond for a while.

After a long time, Hwangbo-hwan blushed.

“I apologize. I showed an unsightly *moseup* [Korean for ‘appearance’].”

At his words, Ak Ye-heun seemed to come to her senses, her cheeks reddening as well.

“You flatter me. How… Do you think it’s a good offer?”

Unlike Jo Gwang-yun, who spoke with a smile, Hwangbo-hwan did not relax his serious expression.

“I understand why my father told me to close my ears. Grandmaster Jo has a talent for surprising people, and his talent for enticing them is even greater. My answer remains the same. Please leave Shandong Province quietly.”

“Is that also Miss Ak’s intention?”

Now as always, women seem to be more realistic. She clearly hesitated, but she couldn’t bend her will. She must have had strict orders from her family as well.

“As I said, our Ak family shares the same intentions as the Hwangbo family regarding external forces.”

A simple person with a firm heart is the most difficult to deal with and persuade.

He considered renegotiating by raising his status within the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance], but he didn’t bring it up. How can you negotiate with someone who has closed their ears?

Jo Gwang-yun sighed deeply and said.

“I must give up my intention to associate with the two families.”

The two narrowed their brows as if trying to understand the meaning of his words.

It was difficult to guess whether he meant to retreat obediently or to try until the end.

“Since you have made what is no different from a declaration of war, would you grant me one request? Ah, please open your closed ears for a moment. Haha.”

“I will listen carefully. Please speak.”

“Could you give me three months? Since you said you’re clearing out the periphery anyway, I don’t think it’s that long.”

The two’s faces brightened. Was it a preparation period for withdrawal?

“Can I interpret that to mean that you will leave Shandong Province after three months?”

Ak Ye-heun asked with anticipation.

“No. I intend to prepare a gift within three months that will leave the two families with no choice but to acknowledge the Changryong Clan. Ah, you refused money, so I will give you a different gift.”

The two’s expressions turned sour again.

“Grandmaster Jo. We will refuse any gift you give us, and we will never acknowledge the Changryong Clan in Shandong. And since the Changryong Clan doesn’t seem to have any intention of retreating, a clash is inevitable.”

Contrary to her frail-looking appearance, Hwangbo-hwan was belligerent. He kept mentioning fighting.

“You may not believe it, but you will never refuse the gift I send. Ah, let’s do this. If you refuse the gift I send, the Changryong Clan will withdraw without question. How about it? Will you give me three months?”

The two were confused again.

He didn’t seem like he would ever retreat. But he was willing to decide on such a momentous matter with just one gift?

His true nature was that of a merchant, so he wouldn’t start something without a chance of success… Or perhaps, is it also the nature of a merchant to gamble recklessly on impossible things?

Anyway, they were in the process of clearing out the small and medium-sized factions. It would take more than three months to finish this work. And they could just refuse any gift that came.

They came to show the firm will of the two families, but they had seized an opportunity for the Changryong Clan to retreat, so it was an unexpected achievement.

The two bowed with bright expressions.

“For the next three months, our two families will never clash with the Changryong Clan. So I hope you won’t change your mind later.”

“It’s a golden word from a gentleman’s mouth. I will keep my promise.”

Jo Gwang-yun also bowed and pledged his promise.

* * *

Jo Gwang-yun left the tavern and hurriedly met Yeom-sin.

“Clan Lord. How did it go?”

“It’s a breakdown. The Ak and Hwangbo families want our complete withdrawal.”

“Oh no…!”

It wasn’t just Yeom-sin whose face changed. The faces of the Changryong Clan, as well as Jang Cheon-yang, changed.

Because if they clashed with the two families, they would suffer not only sacrifices but also enormous costs.

“But I have no intention of withdrawing at all.”

Shandong Province is a wealthy land.

Because of the Yellow River that crosses the west, there is a large plain area. Rice and wheat are produced in large quantities here, and the central mountainous area has a considerable amount of gold deposits, so a lot of gold is mined.

In addition, it is widely adjacent to the sea, so marine products are abundant and trade is developed.

Giving up such a prime location is unacceptable as a merchant.

Jo Gwang-yun’s words that he would not give up were heard by others as a willingness to fight.

However, if they waged war against two families at the same time, they could not avoid wounds that would be difficult to recover from, regardless of victory or defeat.

Jo Gwang-yun smiled as he looked at people’s expressions.

“Don’t worry. There will be no withdrawal, no fighting, and no war. I can solve this matter alone.”

The tense people had relieved expressions.

Not a single person asked how he would solve it.

It was a word from the man they believed in like the sky. If he solved it alone, they believed that he would have made a plan and that the plan would fit perfectly without an inch of error.

Jo Gwang-yun said to Yeom-sin.

“Great Warrior Yeom, please continue your schedule with the others. We must show our power to the entire Central Plains.”

“What about you, Clan Lord…?”

“I have to solve this problem. Everything will be settled in three months.”

“I understand.”

Yeom-sin bowed deeply to Jo Gwang-yun.

He does all the hard work alone and gives the credit to his subordinates, so he is a great leader.

His bow, showing his respect, was sincere.

* * *

Jo Gwang-yun rode his horse to the capital.

He was supposed to leave for a year, but he returned in nine months.

“Nothing happened, right?”

“Yes. However, the Minister of Yunju came to see the Clan Lord once.”

“Why? What was the matter?”

“That whatchamacallit… Min-yeong something something…”

“Privatization?”

“Yes. That’s it. He was furious, saying that you had thrown such a big problem and disappeared.”

Jo Gwang-yun smiled and said.

“He’s a Confucian scholar to the bone, so he only has the country in his head. He still has a long way to go. By the way, have you heard any news?”

“What news are you talking about?”

“Yang Ryeo-cheong’s pregnancy. Not yet?”

“No. Not at all…”

Is the Emperor really lacking in heirs? Or is there a problem with Yang Ryeo-cheong?

It would be a big problem if both of them had problems. Although Yang Ryeo-cheong used her body carelessly, she was still young, so he didn’t give up hope. It seemed like he had to do something.

“Gu-seung. Send word to the Minister of Yunju. Tell him I’ll visit him tonight.”

“I understand.”

When he visited Yunju’s house that evening, he found him with the lights on, buried in books.

“Minister. Have you been well?”

“Oh, Clan Lord Jo, you’ve come?”

“What are you looking at so diligently?”

Yunju looked at the books piled on the desk and suddenly pointed his finger at Jo Gwang-yun as if he had remembered something.

“It’s all because of you. The court is in an uproar because of the privatization issue you threw out.”

“No, hasn’t it been decided yet? It’s been almost ten months, hasn’t it?”

“Doesn’t that mean it’s a sensitive issue?”

“But what is the connection between privatization and those books…?”

“I’m looking for the reason why salt production was not entrusted to individuals. I’m investigating not only the tax issue but also the intention when the national law was first established.”

“Why do you have to go that far?”

“Because that bastard Wi Chung-hyeon came out in favor of it.”

“Is it a problem that Grand Administrator Wi is in favor of it?”

“Of course. In fact, I thought it was plausible at first. Increasing the production of salt and allowing people without an inch of land to own their own land wasn’t bad.”

“But why…?”

“Suspicion. Wi Chung-hyeon always prioritizes filling his own selfish desires. Since such a person has come out in favor of it, I must have missed something. Privatization is clearly a matter of filling the private greed of people like Wi Chung-hyeon.”

It is a simple but most accurate criterion.

How can the work that a treacherous subject approves of and advocates be for the country and the people?

“Well, let’s hear your story. Aren’t you the one who started this?”

Jo Gwang-yun waved his hand.

“I just expressed my opinion as a merchant to His Majesty’s question. Now that they are discussing it at the Royal Conference, it is not my place to interfere with whatever conclusion is reached.”

Yunju couldn’t hide his surprised expression.

He knew Jo Gwang-yun well. He was suspicious that Wi Chung-hyeon was in favor of it, but he was even more suspicious that Jo Gwang-yun had started it in the first place.

He thought it was a trick to push his stepsister into the Emperor’s harem and move the Emperor’s heart with cunning words to gain profit.

Isn’t that the essence of a merchant?

But his attitude now is that he has no interest in it at all, and it doesn’t seem like he’s making it up.

Did he really just offer his opinion?

Yunju’s doubts did not disappear.

“More than that, Minister. I received His Majesty’s solemn order, but I’m at a loss as to how to report it. I would like to hear your opinion.”

“What? His Majesty’s order?”

“Yes. When I told him that I was traveling around the Central Plains, he ordered me to immediately report anything I saw that was not beneficial or righteous.”

Yunju stroked his chest.

It’s because he just slipped a bundle or so into the cart. Sending managers and inspectors all over the country would also cost a lot of money, so perhaps the Emperor used the role of inspector for free.

“So, what’s the difficult thing?”

“When I looked around Shandong Province, the tyranny of the *Wokou* [Japanese pirates] was beyond words. In severe cases, they even occupied an entire village and turned it into a *Wokou* country. The devastation of the people is indescribable.”

“The tyranny of the *Wokou* is nothing new…”

“Seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t bear the misery.”

“Is it that bad?”

“If special measures are not taken, the power of the *Wokou* will grow more and more. At this rate, the sea of Shandong Province may become the *Wokou*’s.”

“Hmm…”

Jo Gwang-yun watched Yunju’s expression as he groaned.

“The number of government troops is woefully insufficient… I don’t think there’s a good way…”

“Isn’t it impossible to hide what I saw with my own eyes from His Majesty?”

“Of course. Since His Majesty has ordered it, you must report the truth.”

This is why loyal subjects are good.

If it were Wi Chung-hyeon, he would have told me to pretend I didn’t see it and not report anything. He said that it would only cause a headache…

“Minister. Isn’t it not enough to just report the facts? He will surely tell you to come up with a plan… Will a plan that will be effective come out?”

Yunju’s sigh grew deeper and deeper.

It’s a problem that has been going on for a long time. It’s not something I didn’t know, nor is it something new. The fact that I knew about it a long time ago but couldn’t fix it means that there is no good solution.

“What about you? Do you have any brilliant ideas? Don’t just report it and say that the court officials should come up with ideas. Isn’t this a private conversation?”

Once again, this is why loyal subjects are good.

To solve the problem, they try to borrow even the smallest hands.

Jo Gwang-yun carefully opened his mouth.

“Minister. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it on the way back. I was wondering if this method would work…”

Jo Gwang-yun’s mouth, once opened, didn’t know how to close.

< Two Adorable Families 2 > End