Je Gal Munho asked with a smile.
“Does the tea suit your taste?”
“Mm. It is very good.”
“Ha ha, I heard the Bank Lord was coming, so I made sure to acquire the finest tea leaves.”
“You seem to have a discerning eye for tea. People who know nothing assume the most expensive thing must be the best. But once one begins to examine the weather, the degree to which the leaves were dried, the humidity, the boiling method, and the proper temperature, the way of tea has no end.”
“You are as learned as expected. I heard the Bank Lord’s breadth of knowledge looked down on most scholars, and it seems the rumor was true.”
“I only touched on it as a hobby. Thanks to my subordinates handling their work well, I have spare time to poke around here and there.”
“Think how fiercely you must have lived to rise to your present position. All of it is something you accomplished, Bank Lord. You may take pride in it.”
“Ha ha ha.”
There was only a hair’s breadth between flattery and sincere praise.
In that sense, Je Gal Munho truly knew how to deal with people. He was never excessive in lowering himself, and while he showed consideration for the other person, he did not say things he did not mean.
Song Gukhyeon liked that about Je Gal Munho. As the famous Clan Lord of the Je Gal Clan and the strategist of the Martial Alliance, he had expected the man to be fastidious, but Je Gal Munho’s impression was far more comfortable than expected.
Song Gukhyeon looked around.
“In any case, this is the foremost alliance of the martial world, yet for the quarters of the strategist, one of the Alliance’s highest-ranking figures, they are truly modest.”
Je Gal Munho smiled.
“I do not enjoy excessive decoration. I am also so busy that I cannot help prioritizing practicality over appearances.”
He said he was busy quite naturally. If a twisted person heard it, the remark might have been unpleasant. After all, it would mean he had asked to meet a very busy man.
Song Gukhyeon said with a smile, “The busiest man in the Martial Alliance has set aside time for me like this, so I hardly know where to put myself.”
Je Gal Munho waved a hand.
“Please do not say that. No matter how busy the Alliance’s work may be, it is not so important that I would refuse a private audience with an honored guest. Moreover, you began with nothing and grew into a towering tree of the Central Plains economy. It would not be enough even if I came to you first and asked to learn.”
“Ha ha ha.”
He admired not the position Song Gukhyeon currently held, but the effort and results the man had achieved. Song Gukhyeon liked Je Gal Munho even more.
Je Gal Munho asked, “In any case, what brings the one who leads the greatest money bank in the Central Plains to this inadequate man without even sending word beforehand?”
The greatest money bank in the Central Plains.
From the moment he first established his money bank, Song Gukhyeon had aimed to become the greatest in the Central Plains, and had named the money bank itself Central Plains Money Bank.
A name that could be called common, or ambitious, depending on how one looked at it.
That name had now become a legend. He had entered the world at the age of twelve, and in thirty years, his money bank had come to be counted among the Three Great Money Banks of the Central Plains. Now, at the age of fifty-five, Song Gukhyeon had made it a money bank praised as the best even among those three.
A giant of his generation who had caused a seismic shift in the continent’s economy. His appearance was more ordinary than one might expect from one of the richest men in the Central Plains, but the wisdom and brilliance in his eyes were in no way inferior to Je Gal Munho’s.
Song Gukhyeon spoke in a calm voice.
“There are things in this world more precious than money. One of them is time. Since I came to a busy man without sending word, I thought it best to speak frankly.”
“Ha ha.”
“While handling the money bank’s affairs, I have formed friendships with quite a number of people. Master Woo Gong, who is currently the Left Administrative Commissioner of the Henan Provincial Administration Commission, is one of them.”
The Provincial Administration Commission.
If the imperial Defense Command was an institution that oversaw troops installed at regional strategic points, and the provincial Defense Command was a military-administration office overseeing an entire province, then the Provincial Administration Commission was an administrative institution responsible for governing a province.
The Provincial Administration Commission had the Left and Right Administrative Commissioners as its heads. In other words, Song Gukhyeon had a connection with the head of Henan Province’s highest administrative body.
“Not long ago, Master Woo Gong made one request of me.”
“A request?”
“I heard that the Je Gal Clan has been inviting officials and trying to learn the situation [N O V E L I G H T] and movements on the government side.”
Je Gal Munho’s eyes shone.
Song Gukhyeon continued. Even though he was saying something quite dangerous, he remained calm and composed.
“Master Woo Gong found it very uncomfortable.”
“I see.”
Song Gukhyeon’s gaze shifted slightly.
“May I interpret that answer to mean that the Je Gal Clan truly is watching the government side’s movements?”
Je Gal Munho smiled bitterly.
“You already seem certain, so what need is there for me to escape the moment with a lie?”
“......”
“Moreover, the head of Central Plains Money Bank has come personally. I do not want to dull the pleasure of our conversation with a useless lie.”
Song Gukhyeon could not help asking.
“Why in the world did you do such a thing?”
The Pact of Mutual Non-Interference Between the Government and the Martial World.
The empire and the martial world did not interfere with each other. At first glance, it sounded absurd, but in truth, that was exactly what was taking place.
The Je Gal Clan had now unilaterally violated that time-honored pact, and had even admitted it without hesitation.
Song Gukhyeon could not understand. Je Gal Munho was the Clan Lord of the Je Gal Clan, and he was also a scholar respected even in the Confucian scholarly circles for his vast knowledge and deep wisdom.
Why would such a man do something so dangerous?
“Before I tell you the reason, may I also ask one question?”
“Of course.”
“Bank Lord, are you perhaps conducting transactions with high-ranking officials?”
Song Gukhyeon’s expression changed slightly.
Transactions with high-ranking officials? The phrasing sounded plausible, but in the end, it meant asking whether he was giving them bribes and profiting from it. Of course, the opposite case was also possible.
In other words, it was a rather rude remark.
Song Gukhyeon remained calm this time as well.
“If I said there had never been such a thing, that would be a lie. I have taken money from my own pocket and placed it in officials’ hands.”
“I see.”
“However, never once have I engaged in an unfair transaction that brought me great profit because of it. Nor have I ever embezzled the money bank’s public funds.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. Though I cannot say my past has been spotless, I believe I have lived while keeping at least the minimum line.”
At the very least, his experience dealing with people surpassed Je Gal Munho’s. No matter how sharp Je Gal Munho’s eyes were, if Song Gukhyeon deliberately managed his expression, it would not be easy to detect his sincerity.
“The Bank Lord is a giant of the merchant world. I find it difficult to believe someone like you would place money in officials’ hands without any benefit whatsoever.”
“I know you are not interrogating me, but may I ask why you are asking such a question?”
Je Gal Munho’s face slowly changed.
An expressionless face. The change was so abrupt it made one wonder whether a person could transform so much while sitting in one place. Song Gukhyeon grew tense without realizing it.
“If the fact that the Pact of Mutual Non-Interference Between the Government and the Martial World has been violated comes to the surface, many problems will erupt. It is not something I, who violated the pact, should say, but it is obvious that the government side would not want to turn this matter into a major incident either.”
“......”
“If it were me—no, if it were anyone with a certain amount of experience and political sense, he would have contacted me directly. No matter what circumstances he had, that is. Yet out of nowhere, he asked the Bank Lord to convey a message to me.”
“Strategist.”
“You asked why I was watching the movements on the government side? I will answer you.”
WOOOOONG.
Cold Killing Intent gathered in Je Gal Munho’s eyes.
In that instant, Song Gukhyeon’s complexion turned pale. Though he practiced health-preserving arts for his well-being, Je Gal Munho was a Transcendent Peak master known throughout the world. Facing the murderous gaze of such a master, his heart could not help wavering for a moment.
“I received intelligence that an insolent faction is attempting to seize control of the government. And also that this insolent faction is an unknown organization with overwhelming martial power.”
“......!”
“We have already detected signs that masters of that organization have infiltrated the imperial Defense Command and provincial Defense Command as officials. It is difficult to believe such people would have missed the Provincial Administration Commission, an administrative institution.”
The imperial Defense Command, provincial Defense Command, and Provincial Administration Commission each performed different duties.
The three institutions interfered with one another to a strangely minimal degree, and thanks to that, each institution itself was extremely independent.
That was why even Je Gal Munho could not be certain. If he had been certain, he would already have formed an operation to deal with the entirety of Henan Province’s government.
“I will ask you directly. Bank Lord, did you know of this unknown organization that seeks to overthrow the imperial palace and the government?”
“I-I did not.”
“Is that true? Or have you already joined hands with them?”
“Strategist!”
“Or perhaps you have continued maintaining connections with officials tied to you, unaware that they have already been won over by that organization?”
Song Gukhyeon could not easily open his mouth. The atmosphere had suddenly turned hostile, yes, but more than that, he instinctively knew how carefully he had to answer this question.
Je Gal Munho stared at Song Gukhyeon for a while, then soon relaxed his expression and bowed his head.
“I apologize. This is a sensitive matter, so I committed a rude act in order to test your heart. I offer my apology.”
“......”
“However, I do think it is true that the Left Administrative Commissioner’s behavior is difficult to understand. That is why I asked. Please forgive this inadequate man.”
Song Gukhyeon looked at Je Gal Munho with a complicated expression, then sighed.
“Well now. I came here with no great intention, but it seems I will have to stay longer than I expected.”
Je Gal Munho smiled.
“You had thought that far ahead. Your wisdom is indeed remarkable.”
An insolent faction was trying to overthrow the imperial palace and the government.
This was information that could shock the entire world. Yet Je Gal Munho had told Song Gukhyeon that information without hesitation.
In other words, he had no intention of letting Song Gukhyeon leave as he was. Until he obtained certainty that Song Gukhyeon had no connection to the Divine Flame Cult, he would never release him.
Song Gukhyeon asked, “If such a force truly exists, would it not be better to meet directly with the highest-ranking figures on the government side?”
“I had no choice but to act aggressively, lest I make the mistake of beating the grass and startling the snake.”
“Huh.”
“When I have certainty about you, Bank Lord, I will then apologize for today’s rudeness. You came such a long way, and I truly have no words.”
Song Gukhyeon smacked his lips.
“As I said, I am not a busy man. I will stay here for a few days and take the opportunity to look around the Martial Alliance.”
He was certainly no ordinary person.
Most people would either grow angry, swallow their rage, or naturally plead their own innocence. Song Gukhyeon did not. He knew that, in any case, speaking at length would be meaningless, and that anger would not change the situation.
Knowing something with the head and making the heart understand it as well. That was one of the reasons Song Gukhyeon had become a giant of the merchant world.
“Then the name of that organization is......”
It was then.
“Strategist. The Commander of the Evil-Smiting Corps requests an audience.”
Je Gal Munho’s eyes changed once more.
“Show him in.”
“Yes.”
A moment later.
Rrrk.
The door opened, and Yeon Hojeong appeared, holding a massive axe.
