The storm stirred up by was on a scale never before seen.
Of course, the author’s previous work, , had also taken Hanyang by storm, regardless of rank or status.
But at its core, was a tale bursting with the ambitions of noble ladies who longed for their sons to rise to prominence.
Though the common folk, who loved poking fun at the yangban, clicked their tongues and read it with amusement, it had been difficult for them to fully immerse themselves in the story.
“Wow. Starting with bare fists and then devouring the most prominent merchant group in Joseon…?”
But was different.
This story, unlike those meant for the noble ladies, resonated much more closely with the general readers.
It was the tale of a lowly errand boy, possessing nothing but the knowledge of the future, who was reincarnated and rose to success.
Moreover, the protagonists of most popular Joseon-era novels were almost always from the ruling class, typically represented by scholars.
Wonha knew this well, and had maintained that formula from his Joseon debut work, , all the way through .
But this time, he broke the mold and boldly put forth a bottom-tier merchant character as the central figure.
As a result, this story of was much easier for commoner readers to immerse themselves in.
Isn’t that why, even in the future, the modern fantasy genre became so popular?
Because the stories were easy for ordinary people living in that era to lose themselves in, making widespread popularity inevitable.
And it was the same in Joseon.
“So, in the end, does Jungil swallow up the Yangsun Merchant Group…?”
“Eh, could he? The Head Merchant Jin is watching like a hawk!”
“Please… don’t let it end in some sudden, preachy death like in …”
There were so many people deeply immersed, that some readers even clasped their hands together and prayed for the protagonist’s success.
“I—I want to jump into the merchant world too…?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You?”
“Well, is there any law that says I can’t become like Jin Jungil?”
And, like this, there were even people who, inspired by King Jeongjo’s policy of free trade, began considering diving into the blossoming world of commerce.
It was a scene that would have brought a proud smile to Jeongjo’s face, who had prodded his trusted retainer Kim Josun to bring forth .
However, such reactions weren’t limited to the fervent readers who bought the books.
The novel craze sweeping through this period was launching a new form of business in the publishing market.
And there, too, the reaction to was explosive.
---
[-Please… even if you throw out all context, just show our Jungil sitting in the Head Merchant seat of the Yangsun Group… I beg you, I beg you.
└…You think so? As if a mere errand boy, lucky enough to reincarnate, should dare to dream of rising above his station?
└How does it make sense for a gathering of petty merchants to toy with Joseon?
└Why not? Didn’t they get plenty powerful by cozying up to those in power? If the Gyeonggang Merchants refuse to bring in salt by boat, half the people wouldn’t even be able to season their dinner. Gagaga (可呵, ㅋㅋ).
└Everyone here is going straight on the Police Bureau’s arrest list. Take them away!!]
---
That was in the very bookstores the current Left State Councillor, Chae Jegong, once criticized for “even women selling their hairpins and bracelets to rent a book.”
This all happened at sechaekjŏm, lending shops where people could borrow books at relatively low cost.
It had already become a cultural norm in Joseon for people to scribble all kinds of notes in the margins of books they borrowed from sechaekjŏm before returning them.
A certain sharp-minded sechaekjŏm even turned this scribbling culture into a sales point by leaving extra space at the back of books.
Readers at this shop, addicted to writing comments and sharing their impressions, would come back just to borrow the same book again and again.
‘The revenue of the trial sechaekjŏm has gone up again, Master!’
‘Heh heh… I knew it would!’
Of course, the only person in Hanyang capable of thinking up such a mad business tactic was that big-shot money-grubber who controlled the Banggakso Union.
And this business trick was only possible because, with Wonha’s knowledge of the future, they could produce paper cheaply thanks to the ability to make it from hemp as well as mulberry.
At any rate.
The issue didn’t stop at active discussions among readers through book pages.
The more perceptive ones had already noticed.
Some readers of had already taken the “red pill” about Joseon’s developing commerce.
---
[-Isn’t this something that could actually happen in real life?
└No way. Merchants might be greedy, but not to this extent.
└If this kind of thing happened, I’d be the first to go torch their shops. I’ll start chopping firewood.
-If there’s really a merchant group monopolizing river transport logistics like Yangsun, this kind of nonsense could totally happen, right?
└If prices shoot up like that, I can’t live. I’ll start chopping wood too.
└Still, stuff like in never actually happened in real life…
└Don’t be naive. Merchants cornering the supply and selling at high prices is nothing new.
└I heard even one of the envoys who just got back from Qing pulled that trick and made a fortune!!]
---
Of course, in reality, the language used was more old-fashioned.
To put it simply, these were the kinds of conversations scribbled in the margins of rental books at sechaekjŏm.
And.
These worries, not at all insignificant, were actually based on incidents that happened in the story.
---
[……
There was no stopping the tide anymore.
It all started when the youngest, once just a background character in the merchant house, began to take bold actions.
With his meteoric rise, the youngest now drew the full attention of the Head Merchant of the Yangsun Group, shaking up the succession order.
Because of this, the second son, Jin Gidong, who had been second in line for succession, was growing quite anxious.
It wasn’t just the sudden emergence of his youngest nephew that unsettled him.
His own wealth and standing in the merchant group had suffered irreparable blows.
The ambitious trade venture with the Wa (倭) had come to a complete halt due to a silver export ban by Japan.
“Ah, no, sir! Anything but that!!”
“No? Move aside right now!!”
Cornered, Jin Gidong stepped into forbidden territory.
He went to seek out Lord Hong, the Left State Councillor and power behind the throne.
“I will offer Your Excellency seven-tenths of the profits. So please…!!”
“Oh ho…”
Jin Gidong’s scheme, colluding with power and handing over fully seventy percent of the illicit gains, crossed all lines.
Moreover, this was done while the Head Merchant—his own father—was bedridden with illness, and without permission.
“What is going on with rice prices?”
Some time later.
Jin Gidong’s actions began to shake the capital to its core.
“Twice the price? It wasn’t like this a month ago!”
“No rice? I saw with my own eyes mountains of rice sacks stacked by the Han River in Mapo!”
“Who is playing games with the rice supply, huh??”
By forging the Head Merchant’s orders, Jin Gidong took full control of the Gyeonggang merchants under the Yangsun Group.
Not a single sack of rice was brought into the capital, and the rice retailers under Yangsun’s sway closed up shop.
Inside Hanyang, the price of rice soared to the heavens…]
---
“You read the latest installment?”
“Hmmm… It was satisfying when Jin Gidong finally got his comeuppance from the king, but…”
“You feel the same, huh? There’s no guarantee that the things described in these tales won’t actually happen in Hanyang.”
One reason for the sensational popularity of was what set it apart from the illogical, outrageous stories of old: it presented events that felt plausible and convincing to the reader.
Even the suspension of trade with Japan, mentioned in the story, had actually happened during the previous king’s reign.
In the 50th and 51st years of King Yeongjo, trade with Japan was suspended for various reasons—and the novel portrayed this accurately.
Maybe that was why.
Some readers of felt a strange sense of unease at the story, which felt more real than reality.
Moreover, the depiction of the merchant groups in the story matched reality not only in the matter of trade suspension with Japan.
In real life, the Gyeonggang merchants—known as Gangshang (江商)—had long formed the organization “Jakdae (作隊)” supposedly to prevent shipping accidents, moving as one body.
And.
---
[……
“It seems the profits are even greater than expected?”
Looking at the heap of gold piled up like a small mountain, Minister Hong’s lips twisted.
That was the share Jin Gidong had gained through his schemes and offered to Minister Hong.
“Yes. All of this is the fruit of my devotion and labor for Your Excellency.”
“Is that so? An outcome beyond my expectations. Did you have some secret technique?”
“Haha… If Your Excellency asks, I’ll reveal a few trade secrets passed down among the Gyeonggang merchants. Hahaha…”
If that’s how much gold he gave Minister Hong, Jin Gidong himself must have pocketed a vast sum.
Perhaps feeling proud, Jin Gidong readily revealed to his partner in crime the secret tricks for draining the commoners’ lifeblood.
“First, watering down the cargo to increase its weight—‘Hwaseu (和水)’…”
……]
---
Somehow, listed in detail the ways in which Gyeonggang merchants had fleeced their customers for over a century.
From “Hwaseu (和水),” diluting the transported grains with water to increase weight, to “Tushik (偸食),” pilfering a portion or all of the cargo, to “Gopae (故敗),” deliberately sinking boats for insurance claims—the novel’s depiction of these corrupt practices was vivid and lifelike.
“This… do you think repealing the monopoly licenses (geumnanjeonkwŏn) will come back to bite us later?”
Therefore, such reactions among the readers of were only natural.
Of course, the royal court was also somewhat aware.
King Yeongjo had tried to increase the amount of cloth and coins shipped by land for the same reasons.
Even the Jakdae, now a guild for the Gyeonggang merchants, had originally been an attempt by the court to keep them in check.
King Jeongjo had granted rice transport and Han River business rights only to Gyeonggang merchants who joined the Jakdae, to keep them under his firm influence.
Naturally, with such a powerful king diligently overseeing the nation, the Gyeonggang merchants dared not harbor rebellious thoughts.
But the problem was, no one, including all of Hanyang, believed that such a diligent, exemplary king could rule forever.
“What if… the next king after His Majesty isn’t as capable…?”
“Hey!! Don’t utter such seditious words!”
“But! It’s entirely possible!!”
As it turned out, their worries were justified.
About forty years later in real history.
During the reign of King Sunjo, the lazy monarch, a similar incident occurred in Hanyang.
And that event, in which the rice price soared and even riots broke out in the capital—
Anyone who had read in this world knew about it.
By coincidence, the very person who wrote in secret at King Jeongjo’s command was that same person.
“Hehe… So you dare delay the debut of my Yeonjin to the world…?”
However.
The motive for quietly undermining his father’s policy in this way was rather petty.
Wonha, upset that the second part of was postponed because Jeongjo had ordered him to write , was holding a childish grudge against his father.
Of course, Jeongjo considered his son to be smarter and more filial than anyone, and believed the author of these popular novels was just another loyal subject.
So it was only natural that the person who had inadvertently been pranked would never know the true motive behind the deed.
---
“Surely, Josun, I ordered you to write a novel and widely promote the open trade policy I declared in the year of Shin-Hae…”
Jeongjo’s gaze burned hot as it fixed upon Kim Josun.
Just a moment before, the king’s eyes had been glued to the pages of .
That’s right.
He was at the very part where the second son of the merchant house, Jin Gidong, after being pushed out of the succession, joined hands with those in power and ran wild.
In an instant, a subtle fury began to simmer in Huijeong Hall.
He had ordered a novel to promote his policy—yet in the story, that policy was being criticized.
For most kings, this would be reason enough to immediately punish Kim Josun for insolence or order him to take poison.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Indeed, last year you issued such an order to this humble servant.”
“Then why, pray tell, did you defy my command so brazenly and circulate a novel that opposes it?”
The warmth in Jeongjo’s eyes now gave way to a cold blizzard.
For most officials, being in this situation would be enough to have them sobbing with fear.
But Kim Josun was different.
He had long been hardened at Jeongjo’s side, had survived the Emperor Qianlong’s tests as an envoy to Qing, and above all, he trusted his master—the author of —with his very life.
Because of this, even in the face of Jeongjo’s surging emotion, Kim Josun remained calm.
“Your Majesty.”
“Speak.”
As Kim Josun finally parted his lips, memories of conversations with the young Master Wonha played through his mind.
‘If this gets to be too much for you, Kim Daegyo, I’ll stop.’
‘Young Master…?’
‘Honestly, I don’t want you to deliberately incur Father’s wrath on my behalf, and I can always fix these abuses myself when I grow up, right?’
‘No, Young Master. Please entrust it to me!’
There was no way the young Master Wonha would have written the synopsis of , risking Kim Josun’s neck, without trust.
This was all entrusted to Kim Josun out of absolute faith.
So, having handed over his very soul to Wonha, Kim Josun could remain so composed.
“Mencius said: ‘When a loyal subject or a righteous person faces misfortune, even with the cauldron (jeongak) before and the executioner’s blade (dogeo) behind, he does not flinch…’”
Jeongak (鼎鑊): the great cauldron in ancient China where criminals were boiled alive.
Dogeo (刀鋸): the executioner’s blade, the giant sword used to decapitate criminals in ancient China.
And in that instant.
A crack appeared on Jeongjo’s frosty lips.
“…This is because the duty that a loyal subject and a righteous man must uphold is heavier than life itself, isn’t it?”
As befitting Joseon’s greatest Confucian—no, the greatest scholar-king—Jeongjo replied with the continuation of Mencius’s words that Kim Josun had quoted.
Before anyone knew it, a gentle curve softened the king’s tightly set lips.
At this moment, Kim Josun realized that the gamble he and Wonha had taken had succeeded.
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