Pay‑to‑Win King of Martial Arts (Novel) - Chapter 181 - Embroidered Uniform Guard (8)
Chapter 181 – Embroidered Uniform Guard (8)
“What in the world did you do for His Majesty the Emperor to summon you?”
At Peng Chae-hyang’s question, I had nothing I could tell her. The Commander-in-Chief had already ordered that what had happened in the Imperial Prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard be kept tightly sealed.
“I don’t know.”
“Liar. Well, if you don’t want to say, then don’t. I don’t have any reason to pry it out of you.”
“Thank you.”
“Anyway, it’s incredible. Even my father only saw His Majesty the Emperor directly once in his life. He said that when he took over as Head of the Peng Clan and received the office of Regular Thousand-Household, that was the first and last time.”
Peng Chae-hyang genuinely thought it was amazing. And honestly, she was right. The Emperor I had seen once or twice in my previous life had been a later emperor. He had been the kind who tried to bring in people of the merchant world, invite martial artists, and communicate with the people directly.
But the current Emperor was different. He was far more closed off. In truth, that was what was normal, and it was the later emperor who had been unusual.
Even the Head of the Hebei Peng Clan had only seen him once in a lifetime, and now I was about to see that Emperor. And not even at a well-seasoned age, but just past twenty. Even I, who usually had a strong stomach, found it difficult to believe.
“What are you going to say when you go?”
“What would I say? I’ll just throw myself flat on the ground.”
“His Majesty the Emperor is bound to ask you something.”
“Then I’ll just answer whatever he asks.”
I was the sort of man who even treated a mere Affairs Officer, one of the lowest positions in the Six Ministries, with caution. If merchants made enemies of the government office, life became troublesome.
That went doubly, triply so before the Emperor, who ruled over the entire bureaucracy.
With a single gesture of the Emperor’s finger, entire merchant companies could be wiped out, and I had seen it happen more than once.
“Do well.”
“Yes.”
I immediately made ready to enter the palace and set out. Unlike the first time I had gone to meet Wang Song, I could not go through a side gate. This was a summons from His Majesty the Emperor, so I had to go openly through the main gate. If I went through a side gate instead, that would only slight the Emperor’s dignity.
When I entered through the main gate of the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Guards opened it without a word. They only lowered their heads.
Once inside, Seo Jong-haeng was waiting for me, dressed in a gold-stitched tieli robe. He was not a man I had any particular liking for, but because I was going to have audience with the Emperor together with him, he felt more reassuring than anyone else could have.
“No matter how glib your tongue is, restrain yourself a little in front of His Majesty the Emperor.”
“I fully intend to.”
“Good. Let’s go in.”
The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the main hall of the Forbidden City. It was my first time seeing it in a long while, but it was still magnificent. The censers on every tier of the stone stairs, the divine beasts decorating the balustrades, and the roof figures hanging from the eaves all caught my eye.
They said that if a man could set foot on the stairs of the Hall of Supreme Harmony even once, he was already a success. Did that make me a success now?
When I went inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I saw a number of eunuchs walking with both hands tucked into their sleeves. Among them, the one who stood out most was an aged eunuch wearing official robes unlike those of the common eunuchs. He was bent at the waist and so small he looked as if a tap would knock him over.
The moment Seo Jong-haeng met the old eunuch’s eyes, he gave a short laugh.
“Lord Grand Eunuch. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is accomplishing things like this, so what exactly is the Eastern Depot doing?”
“Wouldn’t the world be much nicer if everything could be resolved by skill alone.”
“Heh heh. Someone hearing that would think the Eastern Depot had greater ability than the Embroidered Uniform Guard.”
“Why wouldn’t they?”
So that was the Grand Eunuch, the head of the Eastern Depot. The Grand Eunuch glanced at me. It had only been a brief look, yet his eyes were so slippery and unpleasant they reminded me of a snake.
“So this is the man. The censor who rendered great service.”
“Mind that you don’t come to kill him. He’s someone who will soon enjoy His Majesty the Emperor’s favor.”
“To kill one who has caught His Majesty’s eye would be disloyalty.”
What exactly were they talking about? How was I supposed to be someone enjoying His Majesty the Emperor’s favor? It was ridiculous hearing them discuss me without me.
“Enough idle talk. We can’t very well keep His Majesty waiting.”
“Agreed.”
Having answered thus, the Grand Eunuch drew in a great breath. The next instant, he bellowed with a thunderous voice.
“Seo Jong-haeng, Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Muk Hui-yeong, Investigating Censor of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, humbly request audience with His Majesty the Emperor!”
For a moment, I thought my ears would bleed. Not only was his internal energy immense, but the sound came from all directions at once. It was a masterful Six Directions Voice.
“Let them enter.”
By contrast, the voice from inside was so quiet it almost sounded languid.
The doors opened from within. In an instant, it felt as if heavy air pressed down on me. The first thing I saw upon entering was a translucent golden screen. The Emperor’s seat.
I lowered my head at once.
There was no one on either side. Usually those would be the places where ministers stood, but since this concerned the Demonic Cult, it seemed they had all been dismissed.
Following what Seo Jong-haeng had taught me, I at once dropped to my knees and made a full prostration. A voice as loud as the Grand Eunuch’s rang out from Seo Jong-haeng.
“Seo Jong-haeng, Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Muk Hui-yeong, Investigating Censor, humbly pay their respects to His Majesty the Emperor!”
“It has been a while, Commander-in-Chief. Have you been well?”
“How could I possibly not be well, when Your Majesty’s grace fills heaven and earth?”
“Heh heh.”
What a dizzying thing this was. I had already thought the Commander-in-Chief of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a figure too great for me to even look upon casually, and now I was seeing the Emperor himself.
“The one beside you is a face I haven’t seen before.”
“It is Muk Hui-yeong, who currently holds the post of Investigating Censor in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Your Majesty.”
I answered calmly. In truth, I had been afraid that if I tried to shout like Seo Jong-haeng, my voice would crack from tension.
“Raise your head.”
At the Emperor’s command, I immediately lifted the head I had been keeping lowered. The screen veiling the Emperor’s seat was invisible to my eyes. Instinctively, I knew that even if I used internal energy, I would never be able to see through it. If I attempted such a thing, Seo Jong-haeng standing beside me would behead me on the spot.
Gulp. My mouth filled with saliva before I could help it, and I swallowed. The shadow inside the screen watched me intently.
“You have done a great service for the empire.”
“It was only what I ought to have done as a censor.”
“The Yunchang Merchant Company was a great merchant company even I knew. Who could have imagined that such a merchant company would prove to be the hound of the Demonic Cult?”
The solemn voice echoed through the great hall. I dropped my head and bowed low once more.
“The Commander-in-Chief must be proud as well.”
“A beloved subordinate has accomplished something worthwhile, so I am proud beyond measure.” Seo Jong-haeng had considerable nerve, to lie so easily in front of the Emperor. Beloved subordinate, my foot. If Peng Chae-hyang had not been there, I would have been driven out without mercy, and even with her there, Seo Jong-haeng had cut into me several times.
But there was no way the Emperor would know about such trivialities. He only laughed heartily.
“Investigating Censor.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The sudden call startled me. Even so, it seemed my years as a merchant had not gone to waste, because my voice came out steady enough.
“The empire rewards those who render service. If there is something you desire, I would like to grant it.”
I bit my lip where the Emperor couldn’t see. I had thought that something like this might happen. But thinking it was one thing. Being thrown into it was another.
“I merely carried out the proper duty of a censor. To call me a meritorious servant would be excessive.”
In the end, I chose the safe path. There was no making bold plays before the Emperor. Once more, the Emperor gave an easy smile.
“Heh heh. Excessive courtesy is discourtesy. In any case, I intend to grant you something, so don’t put me in an awkward position.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seo Jong-haeng glaring at me with blazing eyes. It was pressure for me to say something quickly.
To hell with it, then. I decided to simply say it.
“Your Majesty, though I am unworthy, I do run a merchant company.”
“I know.”
“Ah. Is that so.”
I had been about to explain it, but the Emperor already knew. I had thought he might not understand how someone could be both a merchant and a censor of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, yet he already seemed well informed.
Then again, if I was having audience with the Emperor in person, the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard would naturally have investigated me thoroughly. Which only made it easier to speak plainly.
Among the policies most fiercely denounced whenever merchants of the Central Plains gathered to discuss policy, the shared fate of all merchants…
“I ask that the Sea Ban be partially lifted.”
“…Oh?”
A sound of surprise came from the Emperor. At my side, Seo Jong-haeng’s eyes had gone wide with shock.
The Sea Ban was a matter of state policy. It was not the sort of thing a mere merchant could casually speak on.
Honestly, it was madness. I nearly found myself reflecting on whether living through death once had made me far too careless with my life.
“You wretch, where do you think you are!”
Seo Jong-haeng immediately roared. Then again, it would have been awkward for the Commander-in-Chief to remain silent in a place like this. But the Emperor’s shadow simply raised a hand.
“Commander-in-Chief. The Investigating Censor is speaking with me at the moment.”
“Forgive me. I simply could not endure hearing such disrespect before Your Majesty….”
“I do not fail to appreciate the loyalty in my Commander’s heart. But for now, I would like to hear him out.”
“Understood!”
The Emperor’s shadow turned toward me. Even through the screen, I felt suffocated. If his actual eyes had been upon me directly, I might well have suffocated for real.
“So then, how should I address you? Should I call you Company Lord Muk at present?”
“You may address me however You please, Your Majesty.”
“Then since it is as a merchant that you are now conversing with me, I shall call you Company Lord.”
“Your grace is boundless.”
“Then speak in detail. What exactly do you mean by a partial lifting of the Sea Ban?”
I drew in a deep breath. Even a Wudang swordsman walking upon the edge of a blade could not have trembled this much.
“Designate only the southeastern coast and the Zhoushan Archipelago of Zhejiang as a special maritime trade zone.”
“Explain why that must be done.”
“Trade only truly blooms when it can spread in all directions without obstruction. Yet the current empire, by blocking the sea, has created a bottleneck across an enormous route.”
“Go on.”
“As a result, the empire’s logistics system has become so dependent upon the Grand Canal that it can hardly function without it. For a land as vast as the Central Plains, to rely on a single artery for all logistics is a heavy burden. The Yellow River itself is said to carry six dippers of silt for every one measure of water. Because of that muddy nature and relentless sedimentation, water control is difficult. And once one reaches the regions past Luoyang, where the river rises above the surrounding terrain like a suspended river, its course changes often. There is no knowing when a great change in the Yellow River’s flow may strike a blow to the grain transport network.”
My lips had gone dry. Wetting them with my tongue, I continued.
“Those are the macro-level reasons, but there are also micro-level reasons. You surely know that the residents of the southeastern coast already slip out in secret to trade with Wa or the lands beyond the frontier through illicit maritime commerce. Originally, they were people who might have made maritime trade flourish, yet the empire’s Sea Ban is pushing them into criminality.”
“Do you know why the empire imposed the Sea Ban?”
“As I understand it, there are two reasons. First, to restrain the activities of the wokou. Second, to prevent rebellious forces within the Central Plains from colluding with forces beyond the borders.”
“So you do know. The Sea Ban is, in essence, the same as building a Great Wall against foreign foes. Without a solution to those problems, the empire has no intention of abolishing it.”
“To restrain the wokou is simple. Enact a law requiring martial artists to accompany maritime trade expeditions.”
“Maritime trade is deeply tied to state policy. Then what you’re saying is that even official trade should be accompanied by martial artists. That would mean binding martial artists to official affairs and forcing them into labor. Naturally, the resistance from the martial world would be severe.”
“I will persuade them. As Your Majesty knows, though I am a merchant, I am also a martial artist.”
I chose to thrust in wherever there was even the slightest gap. The lifting of the Sea Ban had always been one of the long-held wishes of merchants, myself included.
That was why if a crack appeared, I had to wedge myself into it first and think later.
“And what of collusion between internal and external forces?”
“Have verified officials ride along and oversee the trade as witnesses.”
“That would require considerable effort.”
“Yet compared to the profit gained from maritime trade, it is nothing at all. The merchants of Luzon, for instance, are said to practically lose their minds the moment they see silk from the Central Plains, pouring out silver in heaps just to buy it first.”
The Emperor fell silent, leaning against the armrest of his chair. I needn’t describe how heavily that silence pressed on me, nor how uncanny the pounding of my heart sounded in my own ears.
“An interesting opinion. It is the first time I’ve heard such an argument.”
The Emperor laughed. I was slightly surprised. Was it truly the case that lifting the Sea Ban had not even been a topic of discussion in the imperial court?
How fearful the ministers must have been of the Emperor, and how desperately they must have tried to avoid falling from favor. The position I was standing in became all the more terrifying.
“Then let your merchant company serve as the test.”
“Pardon?”
At the Emperor’s words, I stupidly asked him to repeat himself. It was that absurd a proposal.
“I shall grant your merchant company a temporary monopoly over southeastern maritime trade. Go ahead and convince me.”
For a moment, it felt as though my heart had stopped. Even temporarily monopolizing maritime trade was a privilege beyond all comparison, far greater than being responsible for a year’s worth of supplies to Gansu.
“Your grace is boundless!”
I had been sitting there dazed, but when I caught Seo Jong-haeng’s blazing stare, I immediately slammed my forehead to the floor. The Emperor’s leisurely laughter drifted softly through the great hall. Once I returned to the Radiant Crystal Merchant Company, it felt as though I would have far too much to do.