Morning at the Drunken Blossom House was peaceful.
Everyone was busy cleaning and preparing to receive customers when a group approached the establishment.
“My apologies, sir. The Drunken Blossom House opens at the beginning of the Horse Hour. If you return then, we will make certain you are properly received.”
The middle-aged man smiled.
“Take this to your chief steward.”
He held out a jade tablet.
Assuming the man was an acquaintance of the chief steward, the attendant bowed.
“Please wait a moment.”
He hurried inside.
The chief steward was in the middle of directing the staff.
“How many times do I have to tell you to get rid of the dust over there? Move, move!”
He was barking orders left and right when the attendant approached, prompting him to snap.
“Why are you loitering around in here instead of cleaning outside?”
“I was cleaning, sir. But some guests arrived, and one of them told me to give you this.”
“What?”
The chief steward’s expression immediately stiffened.
He strode over.
“Show me.”
The attendant held out the jade tablet.
WHIP—
The chief steward snatched it from his hand and bolted toward the entrance.
Startled, the attendant hurried after him.
By the time they stepped outside, the chief steward was already prostrate before the middle-aged man.
The attendant’s eyes widened.
He had assumed the visitor was merely an acquaintance of the chief steward since he had asked for him first thing in the morning.
Apparently, this man was far more important than that.
“Rise.”
“Yes!”
The chief steward sprang upright and stood perfectly straight.
“There are too many eyes here. Let us go somewhere private.”
“Yes!”
“Master!”
Cheon Hyanghwa ran over with a radiant smile and threw herself into the man’s arms.
It was none other than Yi Hwabaek, Gate Master of the Thousand Flowers Sect.
“Hohoho. Look at you. You’re already grown, yet you still cling to me like a child.”
“I can’t help it. I like you, Master.”
“Hohoho. You little rascal. I came here knowing everything already, and you still lie to my face so calmly.”
Cheon Hyanghwa’s expression froze.
Her head slowly turned toward the chief steward.
Her eyes clearly asked whether he had said something.
The chief steward frantically shook his head.
“You foolish girl. Why are you glaring at the innocent chief steward? You don’t even know what I supposedly know. Is there something you feel guilty about?”
“What? W-well...”
“You have my permission.”
“What?”
“You want to marry the textile-shop owner, don’t you?”
“What?!”
Cheon Hyanghwa’s eyes went round with shock.
Yi Hwabaek watched her reaction with amusement, then turned to the chief steward.
“Do not accept customers tomorrow. Prepare for our Hwa’s wedding.”
“What?!”
“What?!”
Cheon Hyanghwa and the chief steward cried out at the same time.
“What? You don’t want to? If you don’t, I’ll call off the marriage.”
“W-why are you suddenly doing this?”
Cheon Hyanghwa stared at him uneasily.
Yi Hwabaek stroked her hair.
“You foolish girl. Did you really think there was anything I didn’t know? I’ve been watching all along. Including the fact that you love that textile-shop owner.”
Cheon Hyanghwa’s face flushed scarlet.
“You are my daughter before you are my disciple. What parent would stand in the way when their daughter wants to be happy? You’re old enough to marry and build a family of your own.”
“R-really?”
“Of course. If you don’t believe me, go to the textile shop. I’ve already settled everything with him as well.”
“What? M-my love agreed to marriage...?”
At the word marriage, her face turned so red it looked as though blood might start dripping from it.
“My, my. Are you really that happy? I’m beginning to feel neglected. Perhaps I should cancel the wedding after all.”
“N-no!”
Yi Hwabaek grinned at how urgently she tried to stop him.
Meanwhile, Cheon Hyanghwa had no idea what to make of the situation.
She had been agonizing over how to broach the subject with her master, only for everything to resolve itself without her having to do anything.
She was delighted that he had approved her marriage to Baek Ryeongso.
But the fact that everything had suddenly fallen into place so easily also made her uneasy.
Unable to contain her curiosity, she finally asked.
“Master, what in the world happened? Something must have happened for you to suddenly come here and say all this.”
“Nothing happened. I met the man you like, and I approved of him. That is all.”
Simple and direct.
Knowing her master’s personality, Cheon Hyanghwa could easily believe he would make a decision that quickly.
“What did you like about him?”
“His strength, obviously.”
“What? I know he’s strong, but strong enough for even you to acknowledge him?”
“He is stronger than I am.”
“What?!”
Yi Hwabaek stroked the head of the stunned Cheon Hyanghwa.
“More importantly, he cares deeply for you. You have met a strong and decent man who treasures you. As your master, that makes me very happy.”
He was strong enough for her master to acknowledge him.
But more importantly, he cared deeply about her.
The part about strength vanished from Cheon Hyanghwa’s mind almost immediately.
Yi Hwabaek watched her twist from side to side with undisguised happiness before turning toward the window.
His expression hardened.
“It appears the beggars have caught our scent.”
“What?”
Cheon Hyanghwa also turned toward the window.
“The Beggars’ Union. Do they know you came here?”
“Most likely.”
“What should we do? They only discovered your movements because of me...”
“It is fine. Whether they watch me or not no longer matters.”
“What?”
Yi Hwabaek merely smiled.
After meeting Jeok Wigang, he had realized how meaningless everything had become.
He already knew the Lower Gate was in Jeok Wigang’s hands.
That fact alone had shattered everything Yi Hwabaek had once believed possible.
How could the Thousand Flowers Sect possibly defeat the Lower Gate when Jeok Wigang himself stood behind it?
Still, he had no regrets.
He was about to become family with Jeok Wigang.
That alone was an achievement greater than anything accomplished by any previous Gate Master of the Thousand Flowers Sect.
Had his late wife still been alive, she would have praised him for it.
“Do not worry about anything. Just focus on preparing for your wedding.”
“Master.”
“And stop calling me Master from now on. Call me Father. How long has it been since I adopted you, yet you still insist on addressing me so formally? It hurts my feelings.”
At that, Cheon Hyanghwa smiled.
“Yes, Father.”
Yi Hwabaek beamed.
“But are you really sure we can ignore the Beggars’ Union?”
“Before, perhaps not.... Wait.”
Yi Hwabaek paused.
“I just thought of something amusing.”
“What?”
He turned back toward the window.
“That man is the Listening-Eye Beggar.”
“Listening-Eye Beggar? Isn’t he an elder of the Beggars’ Union? The one who can supposedly tell what a person is thinking and saying just from the shape of their mouth, expression, and eyes?”
“That’s right. I think I’ll use that against them and give those beggars a little trouble.”
“What?”
“How much grief have those Beggars’ Union bastards caused us all these years? It’s time we paid them back.”
Cheon Hyanghwa had no idea what he was talking about.
Near the Drunken Blossom House.
Several beggars had taken up positions as though waiting for alms.
Their eyes, however, were fixed not on their begging bowls but on the Drunken Blossom House.
“You’re certain?”
A middle-aged man with seven knots tied at his waist asked the question.
A man with three knots nodded.
“Yes, Elder. I checked twice, then a third time. It is definitely Yi Hwabaek, Gate Master of the Thousand Flowers Sect.”
“Has he come to see his youngest disciple?”
“From what we’ve observed recently, Cheon Hyanghwa appears to have some connection with the owner of that textile shop over there.”
“Jin Textile Shop?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve heard the man makes excellent clothes, but his personality is atrocious. What could a man like that possibly have to do with Cheon Hyanghwa, Jiangxi’s greatest beauty?”
“According to what we found, Cheon Hyanghwa is in love with the textile-shop owner.”
“What? Nonsense! As far as I know, that shop owner is ugly.”
“He is.”
“Then is that rumor actually true? The one saying Cheon Hyanghwa has terrible taste in men?”
“It appears so.”
“Has Yi Hwabaek come to stop her?”
The seven-knot disciple and Beggars’ Union elder known as the Listening-Eye Beggar asked the question.
The three-knot disciple, Iron-Wrist Beggar, who also served as a branch master, replied.
“Probably.”
“Hmph. If I could only see their faces clearly, I could tell what they were planning.”
“Oh! Elder! There’s the Thousand Flowers Sect Gate Master.”
“Hm?”
The Listening-Eye Beggar turned his head.
Yi Hwabaek was standing by the window, saying something.
“Excellent. Let’s see what he has to say.”
The Listening-Eye Beggar focused intently.
His expression shifted again and again.
“Hmm.”
“What is it?”
“It seems the textile-shop owner is a greater expert than we thought. Yi Hwabaek acknowledged his strength.”
“What?”
“Jin Textile Shop... signed a contract with the True Martial Merchant Company?”
He continued murmuring as he watched Yi Hwabaek’s lips.
“...Jin Textile Shop will soon relocate to Hunan, where the True Martial Merchant Company is based. You should prepare to follow him there....”
Iron-Wrist Beggar listened quietly, memorizing every word.
He knew the Listening-Eye Beggar was simply voicing what he read from Yi Hwabaek’s lips.
“...From now on, we too will join hands with the True Martial Merchant Company....”
Again and again, the True Martial Merchant Company came up.
When Yi Hwabaek finally moved away from the window, the Listening-Eye Beggar’s expression had turned grave.
“I knew the owner of Jin Textile Shop was skilled, but for Yi Hwabaek himself to acknowledge him...”
“The fact that Jin Textile Shop signed with a merchant company is huge news in its own right. Every merchant company in the Central Plains has been after that shop.”
“Exactly. The True Martial Merchant Company.... The True Martial Sect is the one whose Gate Master is the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s youngest son, correct?”
“Yes. The merchant company appears to be affiliated with them.”
“We may need to investigate the True Martial Merchant Company.”
“What?”
“I have a feeling. The True Martial Merchant Company... there is something there. Yi Hwabaek’s expression softened whenever he mentioned it. That means they’ve completely won him over.”
“They managed to secure not only Jin Textile Shop but even an alliance with the Thousand Flowers Sect. How in the world did they persuade Yi Hwabaek?”
“That is what we are going to find out.”
The Listening-Eye Beggar turned toward Iron-Wrist Beggar.
“Go immediately and gather every piece of information we have concerning Jin Textile Shop and the True Martial Merchant Company. Bring it all to me.”
“Understood.”
“And find everything we have on the True Martial Sect’s recent activities as well.”
“Yes!”
The Listening-Eye Beggar muttered, his eyes burning with curiosity.
“It has been a long time since something piqued my interest this much.”
The Listening-Eye Beggar tilted his head as he examined the information Iron-Wrist Beggar had brought.
“The current Merchant Master of the True Martial Merchant Company is the eldest son of the True Martial Sect’s Gate Master?”
“That is correct.”
“But... this says he passed the imperial examination and entered government service.”
“No information about what happened afterward in the Imperial Capital ever became public.”
“What?”
“We have nothing on what office he took or what he did there.”
“No information? Didn’t the people we planted there say anything?”
“They apparently panic at the mere mention of the name Jeok Wigang and refuse to speak.”
“What?”
The Listening-Eye Beggar sensed something was wrong.
“Bring me every record we have from the imperial palace covering the entire period Jeok Wigang was there.”
“That is everything.”
“What? This is all of it?”
“Yes. By the time Jeok Wigang left the imperial palace, the situation there had reportedly already stabilized.”
“But the imperial court had been in such dire condition that it wouldn’t have been surprising if the country collapsed at any moment.”
“A great deal happened in a very short period. The Hanlin Academy scholars all left the capital at once, and the palace itself was reportedly filled with ordinary commoners.”

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