"Brother! Great Brother!"
"Why the fuss?"
"Did you hear?"
Yoon Jong chuckled softly.
"What did you hear?"
"Isn't the rumor already widespread? Haven't you heard?"
"With ears, there's nothing I can't hear."
As Yoon Jong replied calmly, Jo Geol became even more agitated.
"It turns out the merchants from Hwa-eum, who were demanding debts from Hwasan, were actually former agents of Hwasan. Their businesses all belong to Hwasan as well."
"Is that so?"
"Right now, Hwa-eum is in chaos. The officials and soldiers are occupying Hwa-eum and confiscating all their assets."
"I heard that too."
"Oh, Great Brother! Why are you so calm? Ha! This is why I shouldn't talk to people who are destined to be hermits!"
Jo Geol pounded his chest in frustration.
"Is that such a big deal?"
"It is a big deal. If they confiscate all the assets of those who came, do you know how much money that is? Forget their assets; just taking over their businesses would mean Hwasan wouldn't have to worry about making a living for generations."
"Is it really that serious...?" Yoon Jong looked at Jo Geol with newfound seriousness, as if realizing the gravity of the situation.
He was originally someone destined to be a hermit, far removed from the business world.
The way he viewed the incident was clearly different from Jo Geol, who was the son of a merchant.
"It seems it was a bigger deal than I thought."
"Oh, Brother. You will have to lead Hwasan in the future, but if you lack a sense of money, that's a big problem."
"Mm. I'll keep that in mind."
He had heard the rumors, but he never thought it was such a significant issue.
He had merely thought they could avoid the debt collection, but it seemed to be a much bigger matter than expected.
This led to a new question.
"But how did such a sudden event occur? Why did the Chief not endure the humiliation until now?"
"Well, that..."
"Yes?"
Jo Geol's face became oddly complicated.
"I heard they discovered the ledger this time?"
"Ledger?"
"Yes. The ledger related to Hwasan's businesses. They found it a few days ago, and now they can catch those bastards..."
Jo Geol subtly trailed off.
Yoon Jong understood the reason for Jo Geol's hesitant expression.
"A few days ago, you say?"
"Yes."
"A few days ago, the ledger was discovered. And that ledger must be in the form of a book, right?"
"That would be the case."
Yoon Jong let out a hollow laugh.
"Coincidentally, it seems we saw the book being discovered a few days ago. Isn't that right?"
"... That's right."
Jo Geol and Yoon Jong exchanged subtle glances, unable to continue speaking. 'That box.' 'There was definitely a book inside.'
It was too coincidental to be just a coincidence.
Moreover, the reaction of the Chief when he checked the contents of the box was quite impressive, wasn't it?
"I want to say it can't be, but..."
"I feel the same way."
The expressions of Jo Geol and Yoon Jong darkened further.
"Besides, the previous guy's reaction was a bit..."
"It was too obvious."
- Oh my! What is this? Why is there a stone here?
- No way! It's not a stone! Who buried something like this here? How strange! Hehehe.
How strange indeed.
- Should I dig? I can dig, right? Hahaha.
Hahaha.
To think something like this is buried here.
What a strange thing.
It's not even a treasure!
Yoon Jong squeezed his eyes shut. 'Even if I wanted to be fooled, it would have to be reasonable.
Damn it.'
He couldn't forget that awkward voice.
Even a three-year-old child would have thought, 'This guy is definitely up to something strange.'
After that pathetic act, the box...
"Just as I thought?"
"That would be the case."
The faces of Jo Geol and Yoon Jong grew serious.
"Where on earth did he find something like that?"
"... The more I know, the less I understand about that guy."
"Ugh."
Yoon Jong shook his head.
There were too many suspicious points.
Even without focusing too hard, it felt like suspicious points were rolling out with every step.
Still, the reason Yoon Jong didn't greatly guard against Cheong Myung was that his sincerity towards Hwasan was clear.
This incident was the same.
After all, thanks to Cheong Myung finding that ledger, Hwasan had gained a significant advantage, hadn't they?
"Anyway..."
At that moment.
"Great Brother!"
A loud voice came from outside the room.
"What is it?"
"Have you seen Cheong Myung?"
"Why Cheong Myung?"
"The Chief is looking for him, but he can't be found anywhere. Not even in his room."
"... Hmm?"
Yoon Jong, who was about to respond casually, suddenly froze.
His complexion began to darken.
"Not there?"
"Yes. Nowhere."
"N-No way!"
Yoon Jong jumped up from his seat and hurriedly ran toward Cheong Myung's room.
Bursting through the door, he flung open Cheong Myung's wardrobe.
"Brother! What’s wrong?" Jo Geol, who had hurriedly followed Yoon Jong, shouted.
"... He's not here."
"What?"
"I said he's not here."
Yoon Jong pointed to the empty wardrobe.
Cheong Myung's robe was laid inside.
"Huh? He took off his robe and went where...?" At that moment, Jo Geol's eyes widened like lanterns.
Taking off his robe meant he had put on other clothes.
But the casual clothes were also placed next to the robe.
So the clothes that were missing...
"N-No way."
The night clothes and mask that Jo Geol had retrieved not long ago.
Yoon Jong's face twisted in despair.
"What trouble is he trying to cause again?"
"..."
It was impossible to tell whether Cheong Myung was truly a blessing or a disaster for Hwasan.
"Hah..."
Cheong Myung stared blankly at the cart.
The cart contained a portion of the wealth he had gathered until now.
The cart was filled to the brim, as if it would collapse at any moment.
To an outsider, it would be a shocking amount, but Cheong Myung's heart was filled with despair.
"In a single day..."
It was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.
The hurried descent from Hwasan revealed their businesses already occupied by officials and soldiers.
Armed officials surrounded their businesses, and they had been issued an expulsion order.
The only response to their protests was a shout that if it weren't for the Chief's request, they would have all been taken to the government office.
'What is going on?' This meant that the ledger was indeed real.
However, Cheong Myung couldn't help but feel wronged.
Who would have imagined that the plum blossom workshop, which had been run by his family for generations, belonged to Hwasan? It had naturally been inherited because it was run by the previous generation.
Yet, to be stripped of the workshop overnight and expelled from Hwa-eum...
Where else in the world could one feel such injustice?
The expressions of the others were equally dark.
As the carts began to gather, Cheong Myung's heart sank.
"... What on earth is going on?"
"Indeed, what is going on?" Sighs escaped from various places.
They were being expelled from Hwa-eum immediately, but their family members were allowed to stay a little longer.
Now, they had no choice but to leave Hwa-eum, whether it ended well or poorly.
"Do we really have to leave like this?"
"What else can we do?"
"Even if we protest..."
"Protest?" Jin Yi-san from Hwa-yong Inn glared at Cheong Myung with murderous eyes.
"Did you see the owner of Chopyung being dragged off to the government office after protesting? We are con artists, con artists! If the Chief hadn't shown mercy, we wouldn't be leaving like this; we'd be locked up in prison! So what are you going to argue about?"
Cheong Myung's shoulders drooped.
"Damn it!" Jin Yi-san turned irritably.
"Let's go!"
"R-Already?"
"If we don't leave within an hour, they'll lock us up! We need to get out of Hwa-eum first, no matter what!"
In the end, Cheong Myung nodded helplessly.
Those watching also followed behind Cheong Myung with dark faces.
After a long time riding the cart, they finally managed to leave Hwa-eum.
They briefly stopped the cart in the shade of a tree and got down to gather.
"... This should be enough."
"It seems the officials who were watching us from behind have also left. Can we finally relax?"
"We should be able to relax."
"What should we do now?" Once they escaped the urgent situation, other things began to come into view.
Cheong Myung subtly turned his head to look at Gong Mun-yeon.
Seeing him silent since earlier, Cheong Myung felt his insides churning.
"Gong Lu-ju!" His voice shot out sharply.
"What should we do now?"
As Cheong Myung opened the floodgates, others began to criticize Gong Mun-yeon as well.
"Speak up!"
"Weren't we supposed to trust Gong Lu-ju? What is going on?"
"Trusting Gong Lu-ju has made us look like fools. How do you plan to take responsibility for this?"
Gong Mun-yeon slowly raised his head.
"...."
Those who looked into his eyes fell silent.
Gong Mun-yeon's eyes, usually soft like a gentleman's, were now glinting with sharpness.
"Are you blaming me now?"
"...."
Those who were intimidated by Gong Mun-yeon's aura unconsciously took a step back.
"N-No, that's not what I meant..."
"You mean we should come up with a plan. A plan..."
As everyone flinched, Gong Mun-yeon raised his voice even more.
"What a pitiful bunch."
"...."
"...."
Gong Mun-yeon coldly scolded them.
"We didn't start this to sever ties with Hwasan! Is there anyone among you who can say they are without shame? You all must have known it in your hearts!"
There was no response.
Still, those who felt some shame lowered their heads with dark expressions, but most did not.
Gong Mun-yeon slightly softened his tone.
"There's no need to panic. Right now, we just need to avoid the rain. This will not end like this."
"... What do you plan to do?"
"That ledger can't possibly be real, can it?"
"...."
"It's obviously a forged ledger."
"Ha, but the government..."
"If the magistrate colluded with them, manipulating the authenticity of that ledger is nothing! They must have decided to share the wealth with the magistrate!"
"Oh!" The merchants perked up.
"So?"
"For now, let's head to Luoyang. Once we reach Luoyang, we can take action. If they try to suppress us with power, we will respond with an even greater power! We will definitely punish that wicked magistrate and the Chief of Hwasan!"
"Oh!"
"Of course! Does it make sense for a ledger from a hundred years ago to suddenly appear?"
"We must expose the schemes of those con artists!" The voices of the merchants grew louder.
However, in their minds, they were thinking something different.
Whether that ledger was real or fake didn't matter.
As Gong Mun-yeon said, if they could use the power of authority, they could make a real ledger into a fake one.
Then, recovering their wealth would be a trivial matter.
Seeing the changed reactions, Gong Mun-yeon sneered.
"So you all have nothing to worry about. I will handle everything, so just trust and follow me."
"We only trust Lu-ju!"
"We've been trusting you from the start! Of course!"
'What a pitiful bunch.' Gong Mun-yeon slightly frowned.
They were like bugs, but for now, he needed them.
It was better to have voices raised together than alone.
As long as he could lead them to Luoyang, he could turn the situation around.
He had a solid backing that could provide him with real strength...
"How ridiculous."
At that moment, a strange voice interrupted.
Gong Mun-yeon's head snapped around.