episode_0077

Hano and I decided to meet separately after work, and I went straight up to Cheonghoeru.

Chaejin, who had already come once, didn’t seem to think anything was strange, but Hongryeon was looking at me climbing Cheonghoeru as if she was quite amazed.

“Are you okay?”

“Of course.”

So we reached the 5th floor.

At the end of the corridor, which was extremely quiet due to the barrier, there were two men standing as always.

“Hahaha! Teacher Yu is back again!”

“Nice to meet you.”

Kinoya greets me with a happy smile, and Weiyeol who sternly dominates me. Hongryeon, who was tilting her head when she saw the two military officers greeting me, caught me.

“Those two people…”

“He was a member of Moorim in the past, but he is actually an expert in the military. It’s Ki Noya. Stomach fever. Let me introduce you. This is Hongryeon, the great disciple of Hong Seongmun.”

“Thank you very much. This is Hongryeon, who has a ‘deep friendship’ with the housekeeper Yoo.”

Ki Noya chuckled at her greeting and his eyes flashed.

“Oh. Are you close with Teacher Yu? I’m definitely close with Teacher Yu…”

“The general is waiting. ”

“Hey! I’m not finished talking yet!”

“Do it later.”

“No, this guy?!”

As always, I smiled at the two bickering people and knocked on the door. After a while, I heard a voice telling me to come in, and I took the two of us inside. Cheon Il-hwa, a middle-aged general of the Imperial Conscription Department who had been working among a pile of documents, stood up with a tired face and greeted me.

“Welcome. Teacher Yu.”

“Long time no see.”

“Haha. okay. ruler. Please sit down… um? One more person added. He is the great disciple of Hong Seong-moon and his name is Nakilgeom Hongryeon.”

“I’m doing business with Hong Seong-moon, right? In order to show that the medicinal herbs to be delivered this time were grown at Hongseongmun, we invited a great disciple of Hongseongmun.”

“Huh. This is what Teacher Yu said, and there is no reason not to trust it.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be a good thing if the general could feel at ease?”

“Haha. That too. Nice to meet you. He is the head of the Cheonghoe Sangdan and his name is Cheon Il-hwa, a general of the Imperial Conscription Department.”

Maybe it was because I had said hello to Chaejin last time, but she only gave me a quick glance, but Hongryeon was different. Hongryeon also responded politely to his polite greeting.

I like that the atmosphere is friendly.

“Then let’s get to the point. First of all, it’s a matter of selling the sachets. There were more people who wanted this than I thought.”

Hongryeon’s face was filled with joy.

“Currently, I entrusted the sales to the release department. Do you know? It may seem like Cheonghoe Sanghoe is operated individually, but in fact, there is a Sanghoe in each region, and the center is connected to Cheonwang Sanghoe in Gaebong.”

I know.

It will be revealed later, but because it is a directly managed business operated by the government, you can see it here and there.

“The Cheonwang Chamber of Commerce’s evaluation team decided to treat the sachets produced by Hongseongmun as high-end products. It’s a limited edition, a special product, and an item with a story.”

yes. I also aimed for that, Cheon Il-hwa also focused on that, and Cheonwang Sanghoe seems to have reflected that as well.

“Those things can be sold as high-end items. The quality of the actual product itself is not bad at all. Because the scent of the thousand-day plum blossom is strong, and there is no one who does not know what Hong Seong-moon has done so far. They say that it is often visited by the wives of high officials who think that having it will increase their virtue, or by those who are close to getting married.”

“So… how much did it sell for?”

“See for yourself.”

Cheon Il-hwa held out a document, and Hongryun, Chae-jin, me, and I looked at it.

“Wow… that’s expensive?”

“It came out a little more than expected.”

While Chaejin and I were surprised, Hongryeon was looking at the documents blankly.

“Hongryeon?”

There is no answer.

Hongryeon is broken.

I shook her and she suddenly came to her senses and started shaking.

“…So many…”

“In the end, how you sell the product is important. Also, if demand is high but supply is low, the price is bound to rise. The current price includes its value as a limited edition product. The price is probably not that surprising. Also, if you keep in mind that this is a profit that can be earned quarterly or semi-annually, it doesn’t seem like a big benefit…”

” Even one year is amazing, right?!”

is it?

I looked at Hongryeon, who was hastily answering my words, and then nodded.

“So, how much will we receive?”

“There may be a small fee attached, but… it’s between me and Teacher Yu. As a way to ask for your help in the future, we will provide the fee for free.”

In other words, the entire amount earned is given away.

It’s a happy story.

“This is true. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Haha. This is what I want to say. And… it’s a story related to medicinal herbs. I think it will also be treated as a luxury item. However, the price seems to be about 2 nyang per geun.”

“That’s enough.”

Unlike sachets, medicinal materials are not intended to be treated as limited products.

Hongryeon’s hands under the table were shaking. In addition to the price of the sachet from earlier, there are also medicinal ingredients.

I guess I didn’t know it would sell like this.

“I told you. They will sell it expensively.”

“You said that, but… Hey. We worked hard to cultivate it, but is it really worth it?”

Cheon Il-hwa grinned at Hongryeon’s shaking voice, and I explained for her.

“The value of medicinal herbs increases depending on where and who made them. If Hongseongmun, which has accumulated virtue by doing good deeds for a long time, grows medicinal herbs rich in the spiritual energy of Hongseongsan Mountain, there are many people who will buy it at a high price. The story that medicine is better received depending on a person’s mindset is something we already know from the movie release.”

In other words, those who have money and like to take care of their health will rush to buy it.

Cheon Il-hwa agreed with what I said and added one thing.

“And one thing to note is that from now on, manufactured products must only be sold at Cheonwang Sanghoe. That’s not to say there aren’t people trying to take advantage of Hong Seong-moon’s reputation.”

The idea is to be careful of fakes.

If you only do business with Cheonwang Trading Company, you will be able to crush them under the name of Cheonwang Trading Company when sold elsewhere.

If that happens, I think the people who worked there will probably be conscripted and taken to the military.

“Uh… Yes. We decided to only deliver to our guests.”

“I also plan to do business only with the Cheonghoe Sangdan and General Cheon.”

“Hehe. That’s really reliable.”

There was no problem.

It may not be possible, but we sipped our tea with a much more relaxed mind after signing and preparing a separate contract stating that Cheonwang Sanghoe would help with everything from price gouging to preventing resale by resellers.

“Ah. yes. Sojeo Chae and Sojeo Hong, would you like to come down for a moment and have a drink? I personally have something to share with Teacher Yu.”

Chaejin and Hongryeon looked at me worriedly, but I shook my head. Because I think I understand why Cheon Il-hwa wants to meet alone.

When they finally left, Cheon Il-hwa got to the point.

“I became acquainted with Hao Mun’s Hano not long ago. He said so. While talking with Teacher Yu, a plan came to mind to balance the factions.”

“Haha. That’s a good thing.”

“Thanks to you, I was able to obtain quite a lot of human resources. Of course, I made sure that Teacher Yu’s name did not come out during the process, but…”

“Thank you.”

“The problem is that I don’t think they will stop moving. Also… it seems like there is someone behind the new Four Black Rites.”

As expected.

Because the new Black Dragon Master is receiving support from the Iron Blood Order.

Maybe… it’s an iron blood drug?

“In fact, those who threaten the well-being of the empire and the royal family are inviolable, and I want to investigate and kill them all… but if I do that without any evidence, the currently stable situation of the empire will be greatly shaken. And the demonic cults may also try to take advantage of this and attack loyalists. They may attack the military for no reason, saying they are trying to make things bigger.”

“I understand.”

I really understand. Because it was similar in Heavenly Moon.

The good news is that by the third part, the empire will sense the crisis and take action in earnest, so until then, let’s just maintain a good relationship with Cheon Il-hwa.

Considering the situation, our scenario was also based on receiving cooperation from the government and military at that time, so there was no problem at all.

“Thank you. I apologize for not being able to come forward myself. That’s why I’m saying this. The situation is a bit like this these days, and the movements of the new Black Lotus are unusual. I would like to entrust some of my subordinates to Teacher Yu for the time being.”

“If you tell me to obey…”

“Gi Noya and Wiyeol. And I’m thinking of giving some troops as well. Of course, if it is difficult to manage the troops, it can be left to the county commander. When I looked at that person’s performance, I heard it was pretty good.”

“Yes. He’s really good at his job.”

“If Island Village gets hit, Yangwiseong, which is just around the corner, becomes a little anxious. And… didn’t you say last time that you defeated a strange force called the Iron Bloods at Hongseongmun?”

“That’s right.”

“Recently, a place where several spirits gathered were attacked, and the name Iron Blood Order came up there as well. So, I don’t think there’s any harm in being cautious. Hongseong Mountain is also famous as a place full of spiritual energy, right?”

“Hmm…”

“So, Mr. Yu. If the new Black Dragon or the Iron Blood Gang attack Seomhwachon, would you be able to unite with Hongseongmun to take them down? Actually, I’m sorry that I feel like I’m just passing this on to the Empire. Still, I’d like to help you. I will not forget this repayment.”

Cheon Il-hwa proposed seriously, and I also took it seriously.

“I will do my best for the empire.”

“Haha… thank you for that.”

What are you talking about?

I am more grateful.

I was going to ask them to send either Ki Noya or Wiyeol, but it turns out that both of them will be receiving military support.

After the main topic was over, we talked about mining. It was related to a gold mine near Yangwiseong, and Cheon Il-hwa was interested, perhaps because it was a good opportunity to secure funds, as he had also heard that gold was found in a river nearby.

After a short but good conversation, I went downstairs and found the two of them sitting on the fourth floor of Cheonghoeru, facing each other and sipping drinks.

“Oh? Is the story over?”

“That’s right.”

“What did you talk about that made you call me separately?”

“Haha. I’ll do that for you later when I get back. Rather…”

I looked at the two and slowly opened my mouth.

“I have to go see Hano for a moment. If you two want to drink here, I will bring Ki Noya or Wiyeol with you.”

“Can I come with you?”

“It doesn’t matter, but you must be bored, right? It’s not a place worth seeing. It’s not a dangerous place.”

But the two got up right away without saying anything.

I hope Hao Mun isn’t surprised.