They say that with great power comes great responsibility.
I was just now beginning to understand what that meant.
The main conference room was filled with noisy chatter from the Oewonwonju and Gwak Jindo.
And in the center of it all was me, with my siblings seated to my left and right.
“It feels like just yesterday I saw you as a baby, and now you’re sitting in the Gaju’s seat. Truly, it’s moving.”
“I can’t even remember the last time we gave a report and held a meeting with the Gaju.”
“What do you mean you don’t remember? It was ten years ago.”
“That’s just a way of speaking, you fool.”
I couldn’t get a single word in, surrounded as I was by the Oewonwonju.
The same was true for my siblings on either side.
“My, Young Miss, you’ve truly grown beautiful. I daresay you could be called the most beautiful woman in Gangseo.”
“…Ah, haha. Thank you…”
“I could tell since you were little. Isn’t she the spitting image of Gamonyim (3 pairs)?”
“Right, right.”
“It’s not just Young Miss. The Youngest Master also takes after Gamonyim. He’s a boy, but look at how pretty he is.”
“Youngest Master? We should be calling him Gaju now.”
“Yes, yes.”
It made sense.
For ten years the Gaju seat had been vacant, so they had to report to the Gaju now, and as a result, the Oewonwonju who rarely gathered had all assembled.
Still, these Oewonwonju were the loyal retainers of the Hwanggeum Family.
They were the ones who came at Gwak Jindo’s call.
They just had no martial strength and, being Oewon people, couldn’t intervene in Naewon affairs.
Later, I heard from Gwak Jindo that they’d been doing their best to protect the family in their own way.
After the family was eaten up, they didn’t recruit any new people, closing off all opportunities for outsiders to infiltrate.
They even avoided putting outsiders in places that required practical work.
Just by quietly holding onto their positions, they’d done all that could be asked of them.
“All right, all right, let’s begin the meeting. We’ve all got work to do.”
At the appointed time, Gwak Jindo, who had been talking along with the others, raised his voice and took the lead.
At once, the Oewonwonju took their seats and the room became solemn.
These people weren’t just idle chatterers.
They simply lacked martial strength, but in the merchant world, they were the best in Jungwon.
The Hwanggeum Family held a position in the merchant world not unlike the old Nine Sects.
No, perhaps even greater.
We had no real competitors.
“Jeon Gwang-yeong, Jeonjangju of Hwanggeum Jeonjang, reporting the current status.”
With that, the reports began, starting with Jeonjangju.
Of course, I’d already received written briefings on each organization and had a rough grasp of how things were running.
The real purpose of this meeting was to inform my siblings, who would be handling these matters, of the current situation.
I could have given them handwritten copies, but it’s always easier to understand when you hear things in person.
“How does the interest rate at Hwanggeum Jeonjang change each year?”
“How much budget is allocated for Jinbeop?”
“Can the Pyosa from the Escort Agency be transferred to Naewon?”
Fortunately, my siblings took interest in their respective areas and asked good questions.
The heads of each organization answered them clearly.
Thus, the status reports lasted for a full two shichen.
At the end, Gwak Jindo, who was sitting beside Geumwolsang, spoke up.
“Our Gaju, do you have any thoughts?”
At his words, all the organizational heads turned their eyes to me.
I hadn’t said a word for two shichen.
There wasn’t much to say during the reports.
They were the best at what they did, and the reports were thorough.
What I had to say would come after the reports were finished.
“First, to the Oewonwonju, I want to thank you for protecting the family so well all this time.”
That was the first thing I had to say.
As Gaju, I needed to express my gratitude to them.
“…Ha, haha.”
“How could we possibly accept your thanks?”
The Oewonwonju seemed a bit embarrassed.
I could understand their sense of indebtedness.
They hadn’t been able to help when things were tough.
But that was only because they didn’t have the power to help, not because they didn’t want to.
And that wasn’t their fault; it was the fault of the powerless merchant world.
Before continuing, I glanced over at Gwak Jindo.
Calling everyone together wasn’t just about the reports.
“Though I’m acting as Gaju on behalf of our family, I plan to lead together with my siblings. As you’re all aware, our family will have to pay a lot more attention to external affairs from now on.”
“True enough.”
Gwak Jindo agreed.
At his words, the atmosphere in the conference hall grew slightly heavier.
They all knew it too.
Though we’d driven out the internal enemies, that wasn’t the end.
Even if we wanted nothing to do with the martial world, we’d inevitably get involved.
“That’s why I plan to write full authorization documents delegating Gaju duties to my siblings. Do you have any objections?”
This, too, required the approval of the Elders.
“Of course not. Please proceed as you see fit, Gaju-nim.”
One of the Oewonwonju replied.
I smiled.
It was the exact opposite atmosphere from when I’d attended Elderly Council meetings in the past.
Back then, everyone tried to keep me in check, but now, they all supported me.
“And I want the External General to move into the Su-seok Jangro position.”
“What?”
At my words, Gwak Jindo scowled.
This was something I hadn’t discussed with him beforehand.
The Su-seok Jangro is the highest-ranking Elder.
In the family, it’s a position with authority second only to the Gaju, empowered to give orders to everyone else.
“…That’s a bit much for me.”
“I’m asking as a personal favor.”
Now the family was changing, both in personnel and in structure.
I wanted things to flow naturally.
“And, I’ll be giving two hundred thousand nyang to each Oewon organization. Please use it for matters that couldn’t be approved during the Gaju vacancy, or for expanding business.”
At my words, all the Oewonwonju except for the Geumseonwonju widened their eyes.
Jeon Gwang-yeong, Jeonjangju of Hwanggeum Jeonjang, spoke up.
“Excuse me, did you mean to say two thousand nyang?”
Even for Jeon Gwang-yeong, one of the wealthiest men in the world, two hundred thousand nyang was a staggering sum.
But, in a way, it made sense.
A commoner’s yearly living expenses were two nyang, and top-ranked Pyosa escorting a premium shipment earned fifty nyang.
Each organization in the Hwanggeum Family had an annual budget averaging ten thousand, at most thirty thousand nyang.
So giving out two hundred thousand nyang must have been incomprehensible.
But this was just a portion of the money that had accumulated in the family’s vault over the past ten years, including profits earned by their operations.
They hadn’t realized it had piled up to a full five million nyang.
And there were only five primary Oewon organizations: Geumseonwon, Hwanggeum Escort Agency, Hwanggeum Jeonjang, and Hwanggeum Sangdan.
Even spending freely, the total was just a million nyang.
“Yes, two hundred thousand. It’s not excessive. We’ve held the merchant world for ten years without spending a thing. If we don’t spend now, how will money flow through Jungwon?”
“…Heh heh.”
At my words, a few people chuckled.
I continued.
“Now, the family intends to move more actively. We’ll build up our strength as well.”
“That won’t be easy.”
The Geumseonwonju expressed his concerns.
I thought the same.
After all, power was something the Hwanggeum Family had never had before.
“The first Gaju must have trusted too much in the supposed righteousness of the orthodox sects. When he first founded the family, he got promises of protection from the Nine Sects and didn’t train martial artists, did he?”
“Enough of that. What’s the point in talking about old times?”
The Oewonwonju offered their criticisms.
This was news to me.
And from what little more I learned, that was all they knew as well.
The first Gaju would have been my great-grandfather.
Someone I never knew.
But if what they said was true, he was a fool.
“How foolish.”
“Haha. Well, we don’t really understand it either.”
The Geumseonwonju laughed heartily.
The first Gaju.
He was the one who established most of the petty rules in the Hwanggeum Family.
If so, was my great-grandfather the root of all these problems?
Well, that had nothing to do with me.
If we’d depended on another sect before, then from now on, we simply won’t.
“That’s enough for the meeting.”
Before people could crowd around and start chatting again, I closed my notebook and stood up.
***
After that, I really did pour a ton of money into the family.
Even after all my spending, the money seemed impossible to dry up.
Even if I doubled the guards’ salaries, it only meant paying out two more nyang per person.
Even if I entrusted every last branch of the trees inside the family to be cleaned, it was only fifty nyang.
To repaint every wall surrounding the Hwanggeum Family only cost one hundred nyang.
No matter how much I spent, the money never seemed to decrease.
Of course, to outsiders, it must have looked like I was spending wildly.
“I hear the Hwanggeum Family’s been changing like crazy lately.”
“Blink and there’s a new statue somewhere. I heard the money for the Pyosa on escort missions has even doubled.”
“At that rate, isn’t it excessive? If they keep spending money like water, won’t they go under?”
Geumwolsang, wearing his black Juknip, snorted at that.
Fortunately, he turned his face away before pouring tea and didn’t direct the question at me.
“Cough, cough.”
“Are you all right?”
“…Yeah, I’m fine.”
It was just so absurd, I nearly choked on my tea.
My siblings had already heard just how much money I had.
Right now, Geumwolsang and I were sitting in a teahouse in Namchang, faces covered with black Juknip, sipping tea.
Of course, the tea here was nothing compared to what we had at home.
“This is hardly better than drinking plain water.”
“So it is. Still, it’s good to get out and see the world.”
Geumwolsang looked out the window.
Now, wherever you went in Namchang, all you heard was talk about how rapidly the Hwanggeum Family was changing.
Naturally, the people of Namchang were delighted.
With us spending like this, money would inevitably start circulating through Namchang.
It even seemed a bit livelier than when I’d last walked the streets here.
Building expansions, Jinbeop practitioners, architects, and all sorts of people were coming and going.
“A place as big as Namchang is so easily swayed by how our family moves.”
Geumwolsang spoke with some surprise.
We’d grown up without realizing our own influence, never having had the chance to wield it.
Namchang is small compared to Jungwon.”
At that, Geumwolsang laughed as if stunned.
We were people capable of moving all of Jungwon, after all.
No wonder the Nine Sects kept us in check.
I put down my tasteless tea.
Any more and my tongue would go numb.
Not that we came here for the tea anyway.
“When are they supposed to arrive?”
“If we wait about a quarter of an hour, they’ll be here soon. According to Park Noya, this will be their first personal visit.”
“Merchants have guts, don’t they.”
This was the information organization Geumwolsang used to use back in the day.
I had come here to meet with them.
Yet another way to spend money.
I had a good idea where it would be.
The fact that we were meeting through a Gakjang, and that even people like Geumwolsang bought information here, meant there was only one place it could be.
Just as Geumwolsang said, before long, the Gakjang’s Jumsoi approached and spoke to us.
“Go to the third floor and say you’re here on Dongcheol’s recommendation.”
At those words, we got up and headed for the third floor.
As we climbed the stairs, a brawny man sat blocking the way.
He seemed to be there just to prevent anyone from stumbling in by mistake.
But when I said we were here on Dongcheol’s recommendation, the fierce-looking man let us through quietly.
When we opened the door on the third floor, there sat a woman in a courtesan’s dress with her shoulders exposed.
On the opposite side of the table, two cups of tea were already set out.
“Please, have a seat.”
The woman spoke in a soft, seductive voice.
Geumwolsang and I sat down.
As soon as I sat, I asked,
“Is this the Haomun Gangseo branch?”
“You really came without even knowing that? Yes, it is.”
The woman laughed behind her hand.
Even though we were indoors, we kept our Juknip hats on.
She didn’t say anything about it.
No doubt she was used to clients hiding their identities.
“I see. Judging by your voice, you must be the Youngest Master. What do you need?”
She asked.
I answered at once.
“I need information on children who have fallen victim to pressure point blockages.”
“Oh my, you can’t just put it like that. You have to be more precise and detailed. Otherwise, it sounds like you want information on every pressure point in Jungwon, and that’ll cost a fortune. So, how much money do you have?”
She giggled.
Her laughter felt almost as if she found me adorable.
Instead of words, I untied the Jumyeoni I’d brought and set it on the table, then opened the mouth.
When she looked inside, the woman couldn’t keep laughing.
“Yes, that’s right. Children in Jungwon…”
“…Ah, um, oh…”
The moment she looked in the Jumyeoni, the woman’s verbal skills seemed to evaporate.
She couldn’t even finish her sentence and suddenly leapt up.
“I-I’ll bring the Jibu-jang at once!”
Her tone was suddenly far more polite and urgent than before.