Self-Dancing Doll (2)
Then why, in my past life, did Jingyeon Merchant Lord kidnap Master Potter Gong's family?
If there was a contract as slaves, there would've been no need to kidnap them…
Ah!
I think I understand now.
It was because of the thief I caught.
If I hadn't caught that thief yesterday, Master Porter Gong would've lost his money.
Still, he probably would've managed to scrape by.
Given his personality, those around him would've helped him.
Jingyeon Merchant Lord likely didn't anticipate that.
And something must've come up that distracted him from keeping an eye on the potter.
That's probably how Master Porter Gong ended up leaving the Jingyeon Merchant Group.
Then he must've learned about the Self-Dancing Doll, and the Jingyeon Merchant Group, who had been quietly observing him, learned of Gong Rae's talent, and so the tragedy began.
I couldn't help but laugh to myself.
A small act of mine—catching a thief—had changed the course of events this drastically.
And by saving that thief's life, I was also able to prevent this dirty scheme.
Right now, saving Master Porter Gong and his family comes first.
"Our merchant group detaining something belonging to the Eunhae Merchant Group? That's absurd."
"It's not absurd."
I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket.
It was the contract between Master Porter Gong, his family, and me.
It even had a seal.
Of course, Master Porter Gong never actually signed this contract. I forged it.
"We signed it yesterday."
Then I lightly kicked Master Porter Gong's leg with my foot. He wasn't slow on the uptake, and quickly played along.
"Yes, that's right. You visited yesterday, offered generous treatment, so I signed."
Now that he had admitted it himself, strictly speaking, it wasn't forgery anymore.
I spoke confidently.
"As of last night, Master Porter Gong and his family are under our merchant group."
The forged contract I had prepared just in case, after hearing the thief's confession yesterday, had proven useful.
I'm the one who raised the Eunhae Merchant Group to become one of the three greatest in the realm.
Forging something like this contract was nothing to me.
Of course, since the other party was part of a merchant group, they could realize it was forged if they examined it closely—but I had no intention of giving them the chance.
At my and Master Porter Gong's words, Steward Hwang wore a frustrated expression. Then, he sneered.
"In that case…"
Steward Hwang sneered as he spoke.
"Then the Eunhae Merchant Group will have to compensate for what that man stole."
"What he stole?"
"This gold ingot. We found it in his house."
Steward Hwang held out a gold ingot.
"Let me take a look."
"Go ahead."
I held up the gold ingot and asked,
"Is this really a gold ingot?"
"Of course it is!"
"Don't lie."
His face flushed at my words.
"W-what a rude accusation…"
I pulled a dagger from my sleeve. It was a gift from my two older brothers.
Seeing it, Steward Hwang flinched, and I lightly infused internal energy into the dagger and sliced the gold ingot.
The golden coating peeled away, revealing a dull-colored metal beneath.
"Isn't counterfeiting currency a serious crime?"
"Well, that is…"
A flustered Steward Hwang didn't know what to do, and I grinned as I watched him.
There were two reasons I knew the gold ingot he presented as evidence was fake.
First was the weight.
The weight of the ingot in my hand was different from what I knew real gold ingots to be.
In my past life, I'd handled more gold ingots than I could count.
So of course I noticed it right away.
The second reason was Jingyeon Merchant Lord's character.
The Jingyeon Merchant Group wasn't that large yet. Which meant they couldn't afford to take gold ingots lightly.
And that greedy and suspicious pavilion master gave this ingot away for something like this? Not a chance.
This conclusion came from all of that.
A hunk of metal shaped like a gold ingot, covered in a thin layer of gold leaf.
Even if it wasn't used in a transaction, it still counts as counterfeiting currency.
Judging by Steward Hwang's reaction, he knew it too.
Just then, seemingly having heard the news late, the Leader of the Jingyeon Merchant Group arrived where I was.
"Hmph! What disgraceful conduct in someone else's merchant group…"
"Greetings, Merchant Lord."
It had been a long time since I'd seen that face.
After I ruined the merchant group, there was no reason for me to meet him again.
"Not a very pleasant greeting. What in the world are you doing?"
Steward Hwang, standing next to him, waved his hands urgently. A signal that this wasn't the time.
"What exactly are you doing here…"
"Merchant Lord, I just discovered something very interesting."
I pointed at the gold ingot.
"You've been making counterfeit gold ingots."
"…!"
"I intend to report this to Master Jihyeon."
At my words, he flatly denied it.
"W-what nonsense is this? Counterfeit gold ingots?!"
"There's a Jingyeon Merchant Group mark engraved on the bottom of this gold ingot."
"Gasp!"
It was probably engraved to prevent it from being swapped with a real gold ingot.
And now, that very thing had become a noose around his neck.
"Well then, would you step aside? I need to head to Master Jihyeon now."
Hearing that, he quickly grabbed my sleeve.
Smack–!
But his hand was coldly slapped away by my personal guard.
He dropped to his knees in desperation and pleaded.
"P-please, just let this go once! I'll do anything you say!"
"Are you sincere?"
"Of course!"
Counterfeiting currency is a serious crime—if he were dragged off like this, he'd suffer considerably.
But I wasn't planning on taking him down for this alone.
It was a serious crime, yes, but maybe not enough to completely finish him off.
This was bait.
Bait to completely bring down Jingyeon Merchant Lord.
"Understood. I'll think about what to ask for today. I'll keep this for now."
"Alright."
"Then, let's go."
I helped Master Porter Gong to his feet.
"And I'll be taking Master Porter Gong's family with me."
"Ah, yes, of course."
I spoke to the personal guard beside me.
"Please tell Captain Jeong that I'll be staying at Master Porter Gong's house tonight."
"Understood."
Hearing that, I glanced at Jingyeon Merchant Lord.
If he's the same person I knew, he'll never ignore the bait I've dangled in front of him.
***
I returned to Master Porter Gong's house with him and his family.
Having received my message, Palgap brought Gong Rae over to Master Porter Gong's house.
"Father!"
"Rae!"
I warmly watched the tearful reunion between father and daughter.
A little while later, Master Porter Gong approached me and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much for saving my family."
"I only did what had to be done."
"You say that, but to us who've received your grace, we are only filled with gratitude."
I chuckled softly.
"Then, shall we sign the contract now?"
"Of course."
At those words, Master Porter Gong's wife asked,
"A contract?"
In response, Master Porter Gong explained the situation, and his wife nodded.
"So that's what happened."
"You'll have to start anew somewhere else, but I'll make sure you're treated well," I said.
Master Porter Gong waved his hand.
"Please don't say that. This is a thousand, no, ten thousand times better than becoming slaves. Ah! Young master, you must be hungry."
"Shall we slaughter a chicken?" his wife offered.
Smiling, I replied,
"No need to worry about food. Palgap."
"Yes! Did you call for me, young master?"
"Go buy something for dinner."
"Understood."
I handed Palgap a coin pouch, and he took it and left through the side gate.
"Now then… Gong Mil, was it?"
At my words, Gong Mil nodded.
"Yes."
"Could we have a little talk?"
"Yes, please speak."
"I actually need something, and I'm wondering if you can make it."
"What do you need?"
I drew a picture on the ground with my hand as I explained.
"A doll that dances on its own at specific intervals."
Gong Rae, who was listening nearby, chimed in.
"Oh? My brother made one like that for me before."
"…What?"
At my question, Gong Mil scratched his head and said,
"As my sister said, it's a doll I made before. I think it's still around here somewhere…"
He asked us to wait for a moment, then went into the shed beside the house and came back with something.
'No way…'
What he brought was a wooden doll.
It looked a bit rough, but it clearly resembled the Self-Dancing Doll.
"Huh…"
He had already made it!
Just how much of a genius is this guy?
"But, there's a problem. It's broken…" he said.
I asked him,
"Can you make it again?"
"Of course. I remember how I made it."
"Great, then let's make one together tomorrow."
"Okay."
"And there's something I want to get your permission for."
"My permission? For what?"
"I'm going to sell the things you make to other people. I want to ask for your permission regarding that."
"Hmm…"
Gong Mil scratched his head.
"Is that okay? What I make isn't that impressive…"
"You don't need to worry about that. What you make is impressive. And I'll give you a portion of the profits. With that money, you can take care of your parents and buy nice things for your sister."
I asked him,
"So, what do you think?"
Gong Mil thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright."
"Nope."
"Huh?"
I said to him,
"You shouldn't just say yes like that. What if someone's trying to scam you?"
"But, young master, you saved us…"
I wagged a finger at Gong Mil, who scratched his head.
"Even so, you shouldn't trust too easily. Someone could pull something like that just to take even more advantage of you."
"Ah… you're right."
"If anyone ever makes you an offer like this, you should carefully check things like how the profits will be shared, what the working conditions are, and other details."
"Oh…"
And just like that, I gave Gong Mil a crash course on contracts, and both Gong Mil and Gong Rae listened with sparkling eyes as they absorbed everything I taught them.
They were truly a rewarding pair to teach.
***
Unlike the bustling Golden Boat Market, the village of Golden Boat, where most residents were already asleep, was shrouded in darkness.
A group exuding a menacing aura entered the village.
Among them was one man—
The Pavilion Master of the Jingyeon Merchant Group.
"Is everything ready?"
"It's done."
He sneered.
Today, he had suffered an utterly unexpected humiliation.
That brat from the Eunhae Merchant Group had used a fake gold ingot he himself made to threaten him.
His pride was obviously deeply wounded.
'That damned brat…'
And to top it off, his plans to acquire Master Potter Gong Dui had been ruined, fueling his rage toward Eun Seoho to the brim.
However,
He had no intention of just taking it lying down.
Now that he knew Eun Seoho was staying at Master Porter Gong's house, all the better.
Tonight's plan was simple—
Kidnap Master Porter Gong and his family, and kill Eun Seoho.
At the same time, recover the fake gold ingot that Eun Seoho had.
Dead men don't talk.
He planned to stage it as an attack by the Green Forest Bandits.
After all, this village, Golden Boat, was known to be occasionally raided by bandits who looted civilian homes.
That's why they were wearing fish-skin clothes and had brought watersplit daggers and watersplit swords—
Items that symbolized the bandits.
As long as they didn't leave behind any traces, it would easily be blamed on the bandits.
'So why the hell was that punk trying to play hero…'
There was a bodyguard guarding Master Porter Gong's house, but he wasn't a problem.
Overwhelming numbers always win.
Even if Eun Seoho was from the Eunhae Merchant Group, it didn't matter.
As long as there was no proof, there was nothing anyone could do to the Jingyeon Merchant Group.
"But… do we really have to go this far?" asked Hwang Yeong.
To that, the Merchant Lord replied,
"What, are you scared?"
"It's just… isn't killing a bit too much? And if by any chance they find out it was us, the Eunhae Merchant Group won't stay quiet. They're one of the top ten in Hubei Province."
"And if that bastard takes the fake gold ingot to the authorities? Then you and I are both done for, aren't we?"
"…So why did you even make the damn thing in the first place?"
"Who could I trust enough to hand over real gold ingots? I had no choice."
At those words, Hwang-yeong clicked his tongue silently.
He followed the man because he was his superior, but even he was growing tired of the Merchant Lord's greed.
Whether someone lived or died, whether they wept tears of blood, it didn't matter to him—as long as he didn't suffer even a speck of loss.