Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 51

GuRyong Biography (51)

Self-Inflicted Calamity

On a morning of heavy rain, over twenty coffins were delivered to the main residence of the HwaMyung Merchant Group.

Inside the coffins were the bodies of dead men, all with their heads severed.

“What are all these?”

“I, well, I’m not sure either…”

The delivery of coffins containing decapitated bodies that morning caused chaos at the HwaMyung Merchant Group’s main residence.

“Why were these sent to our house?”

“We have no idea either.”

“Immediately inform the authorities and drag those coffins out of here!”

After shouting at his household staff, Hwa Jung-soo of the HwaMyung Merchant Group, his face etched with annoyance, returned to his office.

“Who on earth would do such a thing?”

Hwa Jung-soo, feeling uneasy, paused for a moment, then his expression shifted to disbelief.

“Could it be that my request to assassinate the GuRyong Guild Leader failed? And so, knowing that I hired someone to kill him, he killed the assassins from the HoiChun Gate and sent their bodies to me…?”

Hwa Jung-soo’s mind raced as he considered the potential fallout.

“I must deny everything, but the GuRyong Guild Leader won’t stand still. What could he possibly do?”

*He* wouldn’t foolishly rush at me to kill me. All he could do is harm my family or disrupt my business operations.

“I need to increase security for my family, and to prevent disruption of my business… hmm.”

He concluded that he had no choice but to contract with a martial arts sect and entrust them with security.

“It would be difficult for an individual family to move [influence] JongNam or HwaSan, so I should commission the largest sect in SeoSum Province.”

Aside from JongNam and HwaSan, there was the SukChun Sect among the orthodox sects, and the EumSa Gate among the unorthodox.

“Since I have ties with the JongNam Sect and have spoken to them, the SukChun Sect is better than the EumSa Gate. That way, I can potentially receive help from JongNam and HwaSan.”

Hwa Jung-soo decided to meet with Suk Dae-young, the leader of the SukChun Sect in NanChang, discuss this matter, and contract with them to be under their protection for the time being.

“With the SukChun Sect involved, that bastard won’t stand a chance.”

* * *

HwaRin, along with Yi Do-moon, stormed the HoiChun Gate and annihilated them.

Although they had accepted a commission, the HoiChun Gate had tried to kill him and his household, so he killed them all without leaving a single one alive.

Na Jin, the leader of the HoiChun Gate, couldn’t even put up a proper fight against HwaRin. After hearing from Na Jin about Hwa Jung-soo’s request, he killed them all and sent their bodies to the HwaMyung Merchant Group.

“This should limit the actions the HwaMyung Merchant Group can take.”

HwaRin sat on the ToeChung Maru [a raised platform or veranda] in the GuRyong Guild residence, anticipating how Hwa Jung-soo of the HwaMyung Merchant Group would react.

“He will contract with a sect to protect his family and business.”

There are many methods, but this is the most reasonable, and it is also one of the ways to control his actions.

“He has ties with JongNam, but JongNam is not a sect that an individual merchant group can contract with, so realistically, he will contract with the SukChun Sect, which is based in SukChun County.”

Since the HoiChun Gate was defeated, he would contract with a sect that has considerable power, not just some mediocre sect.

“Then the HwaMyung Merchant Group is with the SukChun Sect, and the YoungChun Merchant Group is with the EumSa Gate.”

HwaRin smiled brightly.

“Things are going as planned. Now that it has come to this, I should try to take over the HwaMyung and YoungChun Merchant Groups and be able to control them.”

Through the SukChun Sect and the EumSa Gate, the GuRyong Guild will naturally become known as a martial arts family rather than a merchant family. If I can secretly take over the business operations of the HwaMyung and YoungChun Merchant Groups, the GuRyong Guild will have nothing to worry about in the future.

Of course, dealing with the SukChun Sect and the EumSa Gate is not an easy task, but for HwaRin, who had those harsh experiences in the MenHo Death Squad, it was not a difficult task.

“Lee Protector!”

HwaRin called out to Yi Do-moon, who appeared beside him.

“How many assassin sects are there in SeoSum Province?”

“Now that the HoiChun Gate has been destroyed, there are five remaining.”

“What is their level?”

“Except for the SaDang, they are second-rate or third-rate sects.”

“Is the SaDang first-rate?”

“Yes, they are the best assassin sect in SeoSum Province. Of course, if I were to step into the martial world, it would be different, but that is unlikely now, so the SaDang is the best assassin sect in SeoSum Province.”

Yi Do-moon’s pride was immense.

“Do they know of the existence of the Murderous Sovereign?”

“There are no assassins who deny the Murderous Sovereign. Denying the Murderous Sovereign is not being an assassin.”

He said firmly.

“Is that so? Then, in the name of the Murderous Sovereign, send an official letter to the leader of the SaDang. Tell them I want to see them for a moment.”

“When mentioning the name of the Murderous Sovereign and sending an official letter, the Murderous Sovereign’s sacred object, the Murderous Sovereign’s Ink Blood Tablet, is required.”

At Yi Do-moon’s words, HwaRin took out the Murderous Sovereign’s Ink Blood Tablet from his chest and gave it to him.

“I receive the command.”

As Yi Do-moon disappeared like smoke, HwaRin also rose from his seat.

“It’s raining, so I should meet with Branch Leader MiOk and discuss future plans.”
HwaRin left his office.

The household members working at the GuRyong Guild bowed their heads in greeting when they saw HwaRin. From the perspective of the working household members, HwaRin was a very easy person to be around.

He doesn’t particularly care about the manor, and he doesn’t nag them. They just need to work hard on the tasks given to them.

It was more comfortable than working at other manors, and they received a lot of pay, so from their perspective, HwaRin was definitely a good person.

“It’s raining, so take it easy. Tell Chief Manager Lee to finish work roughly and have a drink and rest comfortably.”

HwaRin said to the household members who were greeting him, then took one of the straw raincoats hanging on the wall at the entrance of the inner courtyard.

It was clothing made to block rain, but it was also excellent for warmth, so much so that there were commoners who wore straw raincoats instead of clothes in winter, making it a versatile garment.

As he wore the straw raincoat and left the inner courtyard, Lee Seo-jung, who was acting as the chief manager, saw HwaRin from afar and said,

“Guild Leader, are you going out somewhere?”

“I’m thinking of visiting Madam MiOk.”

“Yes. Please be careful.”

“Ah, it’s raining, so don’t make the household members work too hard, and let them have a drink and rest. Working all the time will ruin their health.”

“I will do so. If you come back early, I will prepare a meal for you, Guild Leader.”

“It’s alright, let the household members eat a lot. But don’t let them drink to the point of getting drunk.”

“I understand.”

HwaRin waved his hand at Lee Seo-jung, pretending to say goodbye, and left the GuRyong Guild.

HwaRin, who went to MiOk’s house, was able to meet her directly because there were no courtesans learning their skills.

“It seems you are free since it’s raining.”

“That’s right. It seems the Guild Leader is still busy. I heard you acquired the HwaYang House.”

“I came to talk about that matter.”

“That matter? Surely you’re not telling me to work at the HwaYang House?”

“Of course not. I plan to use the HwaYang House as a dormitory for the employees working at the GuRyong House. I plan to provide lodging and meals primarily to those who can’t commute from nearby or those who live far away.”

“They can live at the GuRyong House, though.”

MiOk said this because she thought she could earn a lot of money by saving on the lodging and meal expenses provided to the employees.

“If it were a traditional courtesan house, that would be fine, but the GuRyong House I’m planning is a bit different.”

“Is that so?”

MiOk asked about HwaRin’s thoughts with an interested expression.

“The goal is to allow people to stay at the GuRyong House for a long time and enjoy various entertainments, operating it like staying in a room at an inn for several days.”

“Hmm…”

“Therefore, the guest rooms at the GuRyong House must always be clean. If someone else is living there, it might be unpleasant for the guests, and if they feel that they are making it uncomfortable for the people working there to sleep, it would be detrimental to both sides, so I think it’s right to provide separate lodging and meals.”

“I see.”

Although she answered like this, she didn’t think it was a good idea. She thought it was foolish to spend money without saving it when she could save it.

“Construction will begin after the rainy season, and it will take about a month and a half, so in the meantime, Madam MiOk, please select the courtesans who will live at the HwaYang House.”

“Courtesans?”

“Yes. I plan to provide lodging and meals to the male employees as well, but I think it would be better to separate them rather than using them together, as it would reduce incidents and accidents.”

“That’s true.”

“When the HwaYang House is completed, it will be able to accommodate about a hundred people.”

“A hundred people?”

“I plan to have them use it as a two-person room or a three-person room. It would be too much for me to have each person use a single room.”

MiOk nodded.

“I’m thinking of a two-person room for now, but if the number of employees increases, I may have to consider a three-person room.”

“I understand. I will think about about a hundred people for now.”

“Please do so.”

The look in HwaRin’s eyes naturally began to change as he spoke, and accordingly, the look in MiOk’s eyes also changed.

“I heard that the HwaMyung Merchant Group recently had grain stolen. Do you know anything about this?”

When HwaRin asked, MiOk naturally informed HwaRin about the HwaMyung Merchant Group.

“I believe this is the second time. The HwaMyung Merchant Group, which had a large amount of grain stolen, is having difficulty providing grain.”

“Is that so?”

“They have to provide grain throughout the Central Plains, but since a large amount of grain has been stolen, they can’t transport the grain on time, and they can’t immediately obtain a large amount of grain, so there will inevitably be disruptions.”

“They will lose credibility.”

“But that won’t happen. After the rainy season, grain will be produced in Yunnan Province, Guizhou Province, and Guangxi Province, and they will use that grain to put out the urgent fire [address the immediate crisis].”

“I see.”

“Then, among the trading partners of the HwaMyung Merchant Group, where is the most urgent need for grain right now?”

“It would probably be the government offices of each province and the headquarters of the Eight Route Naval Army in Gangso Province. These two places are also the largest trading partners of the HwaMyung Merchant Group.”

HwaRin nodded.

‘It would be better to distribute all the grain to the headquarters of the Eight Route Naval Army than to go around to each province. Come to think of it, I haven’t met my uncle, Prince YoungChin.’

The Emperor had three younger brothers, and they had each received the royal titles of Prince YoungChin, Prince HeungChin, and Prince YongChin from the Emperor and were living in the Central Plains. Prince YoungChin was in charge of the Eight Route Naval Army, which guarded the seas, Prince HeungChin was in charge of the HeungChin Royal Guard, which guarded the southwestern border of the Central Plains, and Prince YongChin was in charge of the YongChun Royal Guard, which guarded the northeastern part of the Central Plains, protecting the Central Plains.

HwaRin was thinking about how he could meet Prince YoungChin and thought about using the royal decree given to him, that is, the GuRyong Tablet, which indicated that he was the Emperor’s ninth son, but if he received help from the GuRyong Tablet, his life could become known to the other princes living in the Imperial Palace, which could cause problems, so he decided to go directly and confront him first.

“I understand well.”

At the same time as he answered, the look in HwaRin’s eyes slowly returned to normal, and the look in MiOk’s eyes also returned to normal.

“Ah, and exclude those who are too old.”

“Why?”

MiOk naturally questioned HwaRin’s words, as if she had no memory of the previous conversation about the HwaMyung Merchant Group.

“Because older people may take advantage of younger people living with them.”

“Hmm…”

“It’s one thing if they are in a position of responsibility, but it’s not right for people who are working together to work hard at the GuRyong House and then come to the dormitory and clean up after older people.”

MiOk nodded.

“Please make sure to educate them thoroughly about this issue, Madam MiOk. Tell them that if such a thing happens, they will be kicked out of the dormitory.”

“I understand.”

“There should also be no bullying over this issue, so let them know that they will not be able to work at the GuRyong House if that is discovered as well.”

“Don’t worry. I will educate them thoroughly to prevent such unfortunate events from happening.”

“I am trusting in Madam MiOk.”

HwaRin had obtained all the necessary information, so there was no reason to sit face to face with MiOk any longer, so he finished the conversation and rose from his seat.

“Are you leaving?”

“I have other things to do, and since it’s raining a lot, I need to visit the business and find out more.”

“I understand. Please be careful since it’s raining a lot.”