I Will Start Doing Business In Jungwon From Today [EN]: Chapter 156

Summoned by Jo Gwang-yun, Jang Cheon-yang rushed to the capital, only to stare in disbelief at the astonishing news.

“Is it… is it true? The Continental Battlefield? Are you referring to *the* Continental Battlefield, Lord Jangju?”

“Yes, that’s the one.”

“How could this happen…?”

Jo Gwang-yun chuckled, observing Jang Cheon-yang’s expression.

“You don’t seem to be offering congratulations. I’ve acquired the most prestigious battlefield in the nation…”

“Don’t you know why I can’t offer congratulations? The Jo Family Battlefield has already risen to the top, surpassing the Continental Battlefield. Isn’t that so?”

Jo Gwang-yun smiled at the agitated Jang Cheon-yang.

“Master Jang.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to own the best battlefield in the nation.”

“Then what on earth do you want? Do you simply desire a battlefield with the most branches?”

“No. I want to possess the *only* battlefield. I want the bills from the Jo Family Battlefield to be the only ones accepted in the Central Plains. That’s why I acquired the Continental Battlefield.”

“The only one…? Is that so important?”

“Think about it. What is the only thing in this country that originates from a single source?”

Jang Cheon-yang pondered for a moment before exclaiming in surprise.

“Surely, you’re not talking about currency?”

Jo Gwang-yun nodded with a smile.

“Not many people in this country handle currency directly. Most commoners have never even seen it. Do the wealthy favor currency? They prefer gold and silver. Currency is merely a supplementary tool for gold and silver.”

“So, wanting the only bills means…?”

“People need to feel that our bills are better than gold and silver. Wealth isn’t just about accumulation; it’s about storage. Our bills will become the best means of storage.”

“You intend to fill the Jo Family Battlefield with gold and silver from the Central Plains?”

Jo Gwang-yun lightly shook his head.

“That’s not it. That’s not so important. If people trust the Jo Family Battlefield’s bills as much as currency or gold and silver, it’s as good as owning an infinite gold mine. No, it’s better than a gold mine. Mining gold is hard work, but we can just print them.
Do you understand now?”

At first, when Jo Gwang-yun issued bills for the money customers deposited and spent it lavishly, Jang Cheon-yang thought he was crazy. Of course, it wasn’t for personal luxury but to expand the business, but it still felt like theft.

But, miraculously, as Jo Gwang-yun had confidently predicted, only a small number of people came back to reclaim their money.

With the customers’ money, he built department stores, established academies, and bought goods, leaving behind enormous profits. Jang Cheon-yang thought he was a truly remarkable person. However, despite earning so much money, he never refilled the battlefield [a financial institution] with the customers’ money.

The money he earned and the money entrusted by customers were reinvested, and the Jo Family’s business spread rapidly throughout the Central Plains.

Now, Jang Cheon-yang himself had learned enough to think it foolish to hoard the money of customers who would never come to claim it, instead of using it.

But now, instead of using the customers’ money, he was saying he would print bills with money that didn’t even exist. Jang Cheon-yang was confused about how to accept this.

Jo Gwang-yun spoke to the perplexed Jang Cheon-yang.

“Of course, if we want people to trust the Jo Family Battlefield implicitly, as I said, we need one more thing.”

“Please tell me what it is.”

“It’s proof that the state trusts our Jo Family Battlefield.”

What was he talking about now? The state trusting the bills of a mere battlefield?

“There is a way. If the imperial family allows taxes to be paid with the Jo Family Battlefield’s bills, that’s all we need. If the imperial family trusts it, how can commoners not trust it?”

“Lord Jangju, isn’t that an impossible story? The imperial family receives necessary goods as taxes. Only some merchants pay with currency. How can they receive bills instead of necessary goods?”

“They can receive bills and buy the necessary goods from our Jo Family Department Store, can’t they?”

Jang Cheon-yang clicked his tongue at the idea of supplying even the imperial family’s goods.

If that happened, all the people would give infinite trust.

“Just wait a little longer. Everything will be done as I said.”

Jang Cheon-yang didn’t have the energy to ask any more questions.

Finally, the question he should have asked first came out of Jang Cheon-yang’s mouth.

“By the way, what money did you use to acquire the Continental Battlefield?”

“I acquired it with salt, not money.”

“Salt?”

Jo Gwang-yun explained the salt privatization project, that he was in charge of, and the details of the negotiations with the Continental Battlefield.

“I didn’t aim for the Continental Battlefield from the beginning. When the salt field development rights came into my hands, I just thought I would make a lot of money. But suddenly, the Continental Battlefield appeared, and when I learned that the Gil family was a big player in salt, I made this plan.”

Jang Cheon-yang couldn’t count how many times he had been surprised today, and it seemed that he would continue to be surprised.

“My goodness. The Continental Battlefield’s core business was salt…!”

“That’s why they couldn’t give up salt and handed over the battlefield. In their minds, the battlefield is just a storage fee business.”

Jang Cheon-yang didn’t add any more. He had raised enough objections and heard enough answers. Now, he needed to focus on what he had to do.

“First, I will proceed with the acquisition of the Continental Battlefield smoothly and quickly. The most important thing is to check whether their bills circulating in the market match the money stored in the vault.”

“Just overlook any slight discrepancies. What you need to figure out faster is to organize the areas overlapping with the Jo Family Battlefield. One of them must be closed.”

“We should consider efficiency, not just the name, right? I will analyze the location and customers to organize it.”

The most chronic problem during mergers and acquisitions is taking care of one’s own people. But Jang Cheon-yang already knew that if the new family was better than his own, he had to cut off his own family. He had become a businessman.

“I feel relieved that Master Jang is taking care of things so reliably.”

“What are you saying? I’m just picking up the spoils behind you, Lord Jangju. Anyway, you are amazing. Oh, right, I was going to open two new battlefields in Shandong Province, but I don’t think I need to. I can use the Continental Battlefield.”

“Ah, I forgot… How are the Hwangbo and Ak families doing these days?”

“They’re not moving at all. Even though small and medium-sized gangs from Shandong Province are flocking to kneel and beg to put up the Azure Dragon Gate’s signboard, they don’t show any particular movement.”

They must have felt deeply that if they moved, all their children might be dragged away, so it was a natural reaction.

Now, he just had to pretend to look at documents diligently until the Gil family started developing new salt fields.

From now on, he had to focus on seizing control of the court. To make the Jo Family Battlefield the central bank of this country.

* * *

“I should have arranged this kind of meeting sooner, but I was too late. Please understand.”

“Oh, no. Everyone knows that Lord Jo is the busiest person in the country. We are just grateful that you remember and care about people like us.”

The eight royal physicians were constantly laughing in the most luxurious private room of the club. Except for those on duty, they never thought they would experience such a luxury.

Of course, they were also wealthy. With the signboard of royal physicians, the rich lined up to receive special treatment from them.

But the private room of the club and the beautiful courtesans who only served private room guests were too expensive for their income to even dream of.

Their faces were full of anticipation. They had already enjoyed the eye candy of admiring the beautiful courtesans, and maybe they would even enjoy their favors tonight.

“Please enjoy yourselves to the fullest and rest comfortably.”

Jo Gwang-yun poured a glass of wine for the royal physicians.

“And please take good care of Lady Yang [Yang Ryeo-cheong, the Emperor’s concubine]. I’m always worried because she’s delicate.”

At Jo Gwang-yun’s words, the royal physicians opened their mouths in a hurry.

“Are you talking about that? His Majesty is also paying special attention, so we are always watching over her.”

“Of course. His Majesty’s favor is unwavering, so how dare we neglect her?”

“Lord Jo seems to be misunderstanding. Lady Yang is not weak. Her skin is as white as snow, so she just looks delicate, but she is very healthy.”

When Jo Gwang-yun heard the words he had been waiting for, he carefully opened his mouth.

“Lady Yang is healthy, and His Majesty is also healthy… Why isn’t there any news [of a pregnancy]? Is there something wrong with Lady Yang? You have examined her pulse, so you know better than anyone else, don’t you?”

The smiles disappeared from the faces of the royal physicians at Jo Gwang-yun’s question.

The man and woman were together almost every night. The fact that there was no news of pregnancy meant that someone had a problem.

They couldn’t say that the dignified emperor had a problem, so they had to blame Yang Ryeo-cheong, but her brother was standing right in front of them, so they couldn’t do anything.

“Lord Jo, His Majesty thinks that sons are precious. And Lady Yang is young, so good news will come someday.”

At best, this kind of blessing was all they could say.

“So, you’re saying there’s nothing wrong with Lady Yang?”

“That’s right. She is very healthy.”

Jo Gwang-yun breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness.”

At this time, two royal physicians got up and filled Jo Gwang-yun’s glass with wine.

“Lord Jo, don’t worry. We are always watching over Lady Yang. Surely, we will hear news of her pregnancy.”

They were the royal physicians who were almost exclusively in charge of Yang Ryeo-cheong.

“Thank you. I’m counting on you.”

Jo Gwang-yun drank the wine they offered and stood up.

“I think I said something unnecessary. I have something to do, so I have to get up first. Please feel free to enjoy yourselves.”

After asking for understanding, Jo Gwang-yun came out of the private room and said to Bang Young-young, who was waiting.

“Send them to the room with the courtesans. And secretly call the two royal physicians who offered me wine. I have something important to talk about.”

Bang Young-young nodded and entered the private room with a bright smile.

“Oh my, our lords must be tired. How about going to bed now? Our girls seem to be sleepy from the alcohol.”

The royal physicians were all grinning from ear to ear as the things they had been subtly expecting came true.

Thinking that they could hold a young and beautiful woman tonight, they couldn’t even see the delicacies in front of them.

Everyone grabbed the courtesan’s hand and quickly got up.

Bang Young-young winked at the two courtesans, and they clung to the arms of the two royal physicians and acted cute.

“Lord. Let’s just have one more drink. I didn’t get enough excitement from drinking.”

If they weren’t excited, the excitement in bed would be dull. The two royal physicians nodded and moved as they led them.

The courtesans led the two royal physicians to a small separate room and said with a smile.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll set the table and come back.”

The two courtesans came out and closed the door.

The courtesan who came out ran to Jo Gwang-yun.

“I have served them separately. What should I do?”

“Good job. Wait until I give you a separate message.”

“Yes. Lord Jangju.”

Jo Gwang-yun moved to the separate room where the two royal physicians were waiting.

Today, he was determined to solve these two questions: why the emperor, who had so many women, had only one son, and why Yang Ryeo-cheong, who he slept with every day, couldn’t get pregnant.

End