Abolition of the Wicked - Chapter 223

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#Episode 223

Yeom Ja-bang, Manager of the Daewun Merchant Association, knocked on the Dokryong Society’s door.
The Dokryong Society, which dominated Hapbi’s nights, was unlike other triads—it even boasted a respectable twelve-room establishment.
His knuckles ached from pounding the thick wooden door, yet it showed no sign of opening.
“At this hour, they should all be awake?”
Even for men who prowled the night, it was well past noon—they’d surely be awake by now, and far too early for them to be heading out on business.
Yeom Ja-bang tried the door anyway, just in case.
Creak!
In his four previous visits, he’d always heard the sound of a bolt being drawn from within.
“Not even locked…… Argh!”
As Yeom Ja-bang stepped inside, he tried to dodge something that rushed at him from the side, but he simply wasn’t quick enough.
“Oof!”
He crashed to the ground with a cry, tumbling backward.
It took him a moment to realize that what had fallen on top of him was a person—and not just any person, but Gwak Gi-bang, the Society Leader of the Dokryong Society.
Blood dripped from the unconscious Gwak Gi-bang’s nose, staining Yeom Ja-bang’s chest crimson.
“Ahhh!”
Startled by the blood, he scrambled to wriggle free when a voice cut through the chaos.
“We have a guest.”
Gwak Bong recognized the visitor as Yeom Ja-bang instantly. The Oseong Merchant Association’s decision to expand into three southern provinces had been swift, but that didn’t mean their preparation was sloppy.
The Oseong Jang-won had thoroughly investigated both the market potential of each expansion site and what obstacles lay in their path.
In Hapbi, the greatest obstacle was the Daewun Merchant Association, firmly rooted here for a century.
As a merchant rival, one settles matters through commerce alone.
But upon investigating what the Daewun had done to new merchant groups attempting to enter previously, the internal assessment was that this time would be no cleaner.
So they’d made meticulous plans, and Gwak Bong, now Society Leader of the Oseong Merchant Association’s triad arm, was part of that strategy.
Gwak Bong extended a hand to Yeom Ja-bang, who lay sprawled on the ground.
“Isn’t this the Manager of the Daewun Merchant Association? What brings the Daewun’s Manager to a triad?”
Yeom Ja-bang, catching Gwak Bong’s hand and pulling himself up, asked in bewilderment.
“How did you know me? And who are you?”
“Oh my! I ought to have introduced myself first—forgive me. I’m Gwak Bong, Society Leader of the Oseong Merchant Association here in Hangju.”
Gwak Bong’s manner was courteous, but the slight smile at the corners of her mouth made his skin crawl.
“Gather them all in one place! Don’t waste money on treatment—slit the throats of the injured ones and toss them in the forge to burn! You know what I mean?”
Only then did he notice men moving about here and there, dragging the limp forms of Dokryong Society members.
‘How could she be so cruel…….’
Of course, they wouldn’t actually do as those words suggested.
There were no dead, and she’d even made preparations to treat the wounded. It was merely theater meant to frighten Yeom Ja-bang.
The performance worked—his limbs trembled faintly.
“But you haven’t yet told me your business?”
“That is…… that is…….”
He couldn’t very well say he’d come to hire someone to destroy the Oseong Merchant Association entirely.
“Tea! I came for…… a cup of tea…….”
“Ah! It seems the Manager was quite close with our Society Leader?”
“No, no, not at all! We merely exchanged greetings in passing!”
Yeom Ja-bang waved his hands frantically to deny it.
“Then let’s become much better acquainted. From now on, the Oseong Merchant Association will rule Hapbi’s nights, and you’ll find it’s to your advantage. Should any trouble arise, come see us.”
“Yes, then I’ll take my leave now.”
After a hasty bow, Yeom Ja-bang hurried out of the Dokryong Society headquarters.
After walking some distance, he stopped and looked back at what was now the Oseong Merchant Association’s base.
“This is bad. Very bad.”
Yeom Ja-bang rushed back to the Daewun Merchant Association and reported the catastrophe at the Dokryong Society to Ban Pil-seo, the Merchant Leader.
“The Dokryong Society fell to the Oseong Merchant Association’s triad?”
“Yes, it appears the Oseong Merchant Association commands this triad—the Oseong Merchant Association—and they’re all under the Oseong Jang-won’s control.”
It occurred to him that the rumor—that the Oseong Jang-won possessed military force rivaling any Murim power—might actually be true.
“They certainly have their methods,” Ban Pil-seo murmured.
He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“One method is stopped by another. Government authority over triads is like poison to rats.”
“You’re going to see the Provincial Governor?”
“What choice do I have now that the Dokryong Society has fallen into their hands? It’s just… the money…… Ugh! Who knows how much that money-grubbing Provincial Governor will demand this time…….”
Having seized such a large prize, the petty tributes paid haphazardly until now would no longer suffice.
Yet there was no other way.
The bribes he’d have to give the Provincial Governor were far less costly than the wounds he’d sustain fighting the Oseong Merchant Association.
Ban Pil-seo hurried toward the County Office.
At the office, Ban Pil-seo was always a welcome guest. Escorted with the courteous treatment of the clerks, he was seated across from Provincial Governor Nam Jeong-hun within a quarter hour.
“Your Excellency appears to be in good spirits.”
“Do I look well to you right now?”
Nam Jeong-hun’s face was rigid and taut. Reflecting on it, he had not smiled once since Ban Pil-seo entered.
“Is something troubling you, sir?”
“That’s what I should be asking you.”
“Me, sir?”
“What business do you have with the Oseong Merchant Association? Why have you made enemies of them?”
Ban Pil-seo had come intending to request assistance against the Oseong Merchant Association, yet their very name had spilled from Nam Jeong-hun’s lips first.
“They invaded my territory first, didn’t they?”
Nam Jeong-hun surely knew that the Oseong Merchant Association had made their move into Hapbi.
“They simply opened a business! There’s no invasion in that!”
Nam Jeong-hun’s response strayed far from Ban Pil-seo’s expectations.
Until now, the pattern had always been: first, he’d disparage the Oseong Merchant Association; then, with subtle flattery, he’d offer to drive them out himself. After that, it was merely a matter of haggling over the sum. But Nam Jeong-hun was showing an entirely different reaction.
He had clearly already accepted a bribe from the Oseong Merchant Association.
This was certain.
“Your Excellency, those men are rolling stones—transients. I have been rooted in Hapbi for a hundred years, fundamentally unlike them. How could rootless men ever hope to sever the deep bonds we have woven together across these decades? I shall speak plainly: what sum would suffice?”
Nam Jeong-hun studied Ban Pil-seo intently before asking.
“Have you heard of the Censorate?”
“I beg your pardon?”
Ban Pil-seo’s eyes widened as he asked.
“The central inspection bureau, isn’t it……?”
The Censorate was the institution that central officials feared more than death itself.
“A letter came down from the Censorate.”
“What? From the Censorate? But they don’t usually concern themselves with local officials…….”
“Yes, I learned it for the first time too. Honestly, why would they care about such a place? I simply knew but found it bothersome to intervene. Do you know what happens when the Censorate marks you?”
It’s over the moment they do.
Your position is forfeit, and even the smallest infraction ensures you won’t escape imprisonment.
“That letter specifically names the Oseong Merchant Association and the Daewun Merchant Association.”
Ban Pil-seo swallowed hard.
“What—what are you saying?”
“Stay out of it.”
He felt relieved that Nam Jeong-hun hadn’t asked him to side with the Oseong Merchant Association, but the next words that followed chilled him to the bone.
“Tsk, tsk! Such a foolish man you are. Still don’t understand?”
“I beg your pardon? Understand what?”
“That the Oseong Merchant Association’s influence reaches as far as the Censorate itself? Otherwise, why would the Censorate send me such a letter?”
Nam Jeong-hun rose to his feet as he spoke.
“In any case, I have no intention of meddling in the dispute between the Oseong Merchant Association and the Daewun Merchant Association. See that you understand.”
“You won’t side with the Oseong Merchant Association either, then?”
“Of course not. Unless the Censorate sends another letter.”
That last remark unsettled Ban Pil-seo deeply.
‘Is the only place I can trust now the Namgung Clan?’

***

Namgung Hye-yeon, on the verge of leaving her chamber, paused to glance at her mirror once more and adjusted her appearance.
Then, gazing at her reflection, she released a long sigh and asked herself softly.
“What does Geom U-bin think of me?”
There was no need to ask—he surely saw her as nothing more than a friend.
If Geom U-bin had harbored romantic feelings, they would not meet only once every few years like this.
“What do you think of Geom U-bin?”
He appeared in her thoughts constantly, visited her dreams often. Yet there, too, she lacked the courage to speak words she desperately wished to say.
Not merely courage, though.
She had found courage once, but feared it would shatter everything between them.
Even if they could meet once in a few years and still call themselves friends, the moment she confessed, that relationship would crumble to nothing.
Just as it had with Jegal Jong-ryeo.
“Right! I’ll be waiting!”
Namgung Hye-yeon checked her reflection in the mirror one last time before leaving the room, though she made no effort to hurry.
“U-bin!”
She hadn’t meant to rush, but the moment she spotted Geom U-bin standing in the courtyard, her pace quickened of its own accord.
Geom U-bin’s face broke into a broad smile at the sight of her.
She wanted to run into that smile and embrace him all at once, but Namgung Hye-yeon stopped short just before him.
In the time they’d been apart, Geom U-bin had aged. Though he was three years her junior, he now looked nearly her age—a man who could easily be called a pillar of his household.
“It’s been ages. You’ve grown prettier.”
“You too! I mean, not pretty—handsome. You’ve grown handsome.”
“Thank you.”
Geom U-bin extended a wooden box of dark brown toward her.
“A gift.”
Even if that box alone were all he had brought, she would have been overjoyed.
“What is it?”
“Open it.”
Namgung Hye-yeon gasped as she lifted the lid.
“It’s ginseng!”
“Bellflower root.”
“Bellflower root?”
In truth, Namgung Hye-yeon couldn’t tell ginseng from bellflower root to save her life.
What did it matter if it was ginseng or bellflower? It came from U-bin. That was all that mattered, and her joy was genuine.
“Thank you!”
The servant who had gone inside to announce Geom U-bin’s arrival emerged from the house.
“The Ga-ju awaits. But Miss, what is that?”
“U-bin brought me bellflower root.”
“Bellflower root? What—common bellflower as a gift? Gasp! No, this isn’t bellflower root at all—it’s ginseng! And looks to be at least three hundred years old!”
“But U-bin said it was bellflower root?”
Watching Geom U-bin smile, Namgung Hye-yeon realized she’d been had.
“It’s a gift in return for what you brought to the Oseong Jang-won last time.”
The memory of rushing there without hesitation when she’d heard he was ill made her cheeks warm.
To hide her blush, she spun around quickly.
“Your father is waiting.”
They made their way to the reception room where Namgung Cheol-un was waiting.
He was not alone—Namgung Seong-won, the younger brother, was there as well.
Both men greeted Geom U-bin warmly as he entered.
“U-bin has brought a gift,” Namgung Hye-yeon announced.
Both men were startled at the sight of the ginseng she produced.
“This must be at least three hundred years old?”
“Three hundred and seventy years, I’m told.”
Once ginseng exceeds a hundred years, it becomes a treasure money alone cannot easily procure.
“I have seen countless specimens of ginseng in my time, but never one that has reached three hundred and seventy years.”
As Namgung Seong-won voiced his admiration, Namgung Hye-yeon spoke with pride.
“He says it’s a gift in return for what I brought last time.”
“You mean what you stole?”
“Uncle!”
I spoke no lie. Your uncles have given you something precious indeed.”
“I’m not even aware of what I brought.”
“What? You stole it without knowing?”
“Well, I suppose taking it without saying anything is much the same. So I do hope one of you will eat it soon and destroy the evidence.”
“Ha! It seems we’re receiving by the bushel and giving by the spoonful. Hehehehe!”
Geom U-bin, visiting after so long, was an honored guest in the Namgung household. From his first visit, both he and Hang Ju-sa-seon had struck them as extraordinary people.
Especially since the Martial Arts of Hang Ju-sa-seon were beyond even Namgung Cheol-un’s confidence to match, the Oseong Jang-won could not be taken lightly.
In just a few years, that same Oseong Jang-won had grown at a terrifying pace.
The pleasure house with the Oseong Wine as its cornerstone was one thing, but the Oseong Merchant Association had become the largest trading company in Zhejiang Province almost overnight.
The goods handled by the Oseong Merchant Association extended far beyond Zhejiang, reaching not only Beijing but throughout Zhongyuan, until now there was hardly a merchant who didn’t know of them.
Moreover, even the Murim Alliance spoke of the Oseong Jang-won from time to time, so it was truly a matter of how much things had changed.
When they first met, Namgung Hye-yeon had thought him slightly lacking as a prospective husband; now, Geom U-bin was someone she wished to honor as a valued guest for a hundred years.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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