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Chapter 6
If that scar stayed visible, it would be hard to forget Ahn Anyong’s desperate struggle.
I silently prayed that no scar would remain. As soon as I returned to my room, I’d cut my nails short.
The sound of ink grinding filled the room, along with the heavy yet soothing scent of ink.
“What exactly is written in the contract?”
“You already know the contents, do you not?”
He knows I can’t read, and he’s still acting like this on purpose? Mok Seonhu really holds grudges forever.
“Not… exactly.”
“You made a contract with someone named Gwolhyang. If, within three years, someone from the Ahn family passes the Hyangsi examination, Gwolhyang will serve your father for the next twenty years. If no one passes, your father will hand over the twenty shops near the central gate. There are no flaws in the contract.”
So even the almighty Mok Seonhu couldn’t do anything about it.
This was really bad.
“Does ‘the Ahn family’ include cousins and distant relatives?”
Maybe there was some hidden genius relative quietly living somewhere. It wasn’t time to despair yet.
“To be precise, only your father’s children qualify. Ah, your father himself is included as well.”
That mocking curve at the corner of his lips…
Endure it. Think about the twenty Gangnam buildings.
“It’s not entirely hopeless. Why not teach your younger brothers properly?”
Those unranked kids?
I couldn’t confirm exactly what rank was needed to pass the Hyangsi, but it had to be at least Rank 7. Maybe even Rank 6. It varied depending on where the test was taken.
The civil service exams in this era were heavily curved. If there were fewer talented candidates in a given year, the passing line dropped significantly.
However, people usually took the exam in their hometown region, which meant my brothers would have to take it here in Hwanseong. Since Hwanseong was the capital, naturally the passing standard was the highest.
“What’s that?”
Even my final shred of hope had dried up, so I looked at what Mok Seonhu was writing.
“I’m writing down the names of scholars. Choose a few from this list and assign them to your brothers.”
Mok Seonhu was basically doing what I used to do in modern times.
The difference was that my academy had never accepted students with “unranked” ability.
I nodded weakly and tucked both the contract and the list into my sleeve. Mok Seonhu sat down in the room’s only chair and opened a book as if he had already finished everything he needed to do.
A silent order to leave.
Without calling Paengmun, I returned alone to the annex and organized my thoughts.
If the road ahead was blocked, then I’d make a new road sideways.
Just wait, little brothers.
For twenty Gangnam buildings, this big sister would bet her life.
The next morning, while paying my respects, I told my in-laws about the foolish wager my father had made.
I explained that the Ahn family fortune would disappear if things continued like this and asked permission to stay at my parents’ house for a while.
That alone was enough for them to understand. If my natal family lost its wealth, the political marriage between the two families would lose its meaning.
My mother-in-law frowned, but my father-in-law immediately gave permission. He probably assumed Mok Seonhu and I had already discussed it, because he didn’t even ask his son’s opinion.
Not that I had asked Mok Seonhu either.
But if I had, wouldn’t he have gladly shoved me out the door and told me to disappear quickly?
After breakfast at the annex, I took Jeongo and Malsun with me and returned to my parents’ house.
Mother was still lying down with her head wrapped in cloth, and Father looked haggard after only one day. Even his round eyes drooped slightly.
He didn’t resemble my father from modern times very much, yet every time I looked at Ahn Buja, I couldn’t help projecting my emotions onto him.
Just calling him “Father” filled my chest with warmth.
I handed him the contract and the paper Mok Seonhu had written.
“Father, I need to meet these scholars.”
“Did son-in-law Mok give you this?”
“Yes. I’ll meet them first and choose a few. Please summon them one at a time.”
“You?”
The meaning was obvious.
You, who can’t even read the Thousand Character Classic, what can you possibly do?
But I pretended not to hear it.
Since Mok Seonhu had written the list, their status and basic skill had already been verified. As for whether they had the qualities of good teachers, I could judge that myself.
Back in modern times, there were only two things I wanted:
Money and time.
My academy had been succeeding, so I would have achieved that dream soon enough.
If I hadn’t suddenly fallen into this world, I’d probably be sipping wine while overlooking the Han River by now.
Possession was better than dying completely, sure.
But how long had it even been since I transmigrated? And already I was facing poverty again?
Unfair was unfair.
I decided I would win this wager no matter what.
Fueled by resentment and a desperate desire for compensation, I summoned my younger brothers into my room.
Leaving the three-year-old youngest child with Mother, I lined up the eldest through fourth child in front of me.
First son, Ahn Anshin. Fifteen years old. Unranked.
Second son, Ahn Anjung. Thirteen years old. Unranked.
Third son, Ahn Anmun. Ten years old. Unranked.
Fourth son, Ahn Anyeol. Seven years old. Unranked.
Excuse me, Mother of Anyong.
You should’ve done more than just give birth to children.
How had things gotten this bad?
I nearly sighed, but held it in so the children wouldn’t be affected by my expression.
Instead, I asked the eldest.
“Ahn Anshin, what do you hate the most?”
These kids were second-generation chaebols. They lacked for nothing, so there was nothing they particularly wanted. Offering rewards wouldn’t motivate them.
But no matter how good someone’s environment was, there was always something they hated.
Avoiding something unpleasant could be a powerful motivator too.
Anshin frowned. Like the beautiful Ahn Anyong, all the siblings were generally good-looking, but Anshin was the most handsome of them all.
A handsome, ignorant rich boy.
This child possessed every condition necessary for ruin.
“Being looked down on.”
Anshin lowered his head and bit his lip.
“What reason would anyone have to look down on you?”
You’re handsome and rich. In modern times, just one of those was enough to live proudly.
“The Lee brothers make fun of him,” said Anjung, the second son, answering for the hesitant Anshin. “They call him an idiot.”
“Who are these Lees?”
“The Minister of Rites’ family.”
“People call the Lee brothers ‘young masters,’ but they call my brother by his name,” Anmun, the third son, added.
Meanwhile, the youngest, Anyeol, kept wriggling because his knees were uncomfortable, only rolling his eyes around.
He was so cute I could die.
“That’s exactly it. If none of you pass the civil service exam, people will keep looking down on you forever. Do you want that?”
“No!”
Three voices answered at once. A moment later, the youngest mumbled softly, “No…”
“If none of you pass the Hyangsi in three years, the shops at the central gate will disappear. And being mocked won’t be the only problem.”
“What’ll happen then?”
The third child still didn’t seem to grasp the seriousness and blinked innocently.
“You might starve. Your older sister could even be kicked out by her in-laws.”
The children’s faces turned pale.
Hmm. Maybe I went too far.
Well, shock therapy.
Truthfully, even imagining never seeing Mok Seonhu again made my stomach tighten.
It felt like a one-sided love ending before it even truly began.
“Until now, whenever a teacher came, you all chased them away within a month or two, right?”
Including Ahn Anyong, the Ahn siblings were apparently notorious troublemakers who drove teachers to quit in frustration.
“But things will be different from now on.”
Looking at the four children, I hardened my resolve.
The day of interviewing tutors arrived.
Teacher Wang, a man with a short beard, frowned the moment he entered the room and saw me.
As his narrow, sharp eyes swept across my face, I saw his rank appear.
Rank 5.
Not bad.
What was bad was his attitude.
“You’re the one I’m supposed to speak with?”
“That’s correct.”
“Hah! I didn’t believe the rumors that the Ahn family didn’t even have a single licentiate scholar among them, but after seeing this today, I suppose they were true. I have no desire to converse with a woman. Take me to your father.”
“My father entrusted this matter entirely to me.”
So what are you going to do now?
“In that case, I suppose I came all this way for nothing.”
As Teacher Wang turned around and flicked his sleeves dramatically, I raised my middle finger at his back.
Even if you were Rank 1, I wouldn’t hire someone like you.
Malsun peeked her head through the doorway.
“Did he leave?”
“Yes. But he’s insisting on seeing the master in the main hall.”
“He complained about wasting his trip, so I guess he wants travel expenses. Escort him to Chief Steward Ahn. He’ll handle it. Next is Young Master Hwang, right? Bring him in.”
A moment later, the door opened and a man around thirty entered.
His clothes were neat, and he had a pleasant appearance.
“My name is Hwang In.”
“Welcome.”
Hwang greeted me politely, so I stood and returned the greeting. Compared to Teacher Wang, his manners immediately made him likable.
First impression: pass.
But the moment he lifted his head—
Rank 8?
Had Mok Seonhu decided to sabotage me?
How could he recommend someone with such poor ability?
“Um… what is your relationship with Young Master Mok Seonhu?”
“Who is Mok Seonhu?”
He doesn’t know Mok Seonhu?
“Then who recommended you?”
“Elder Ahn Buja requested my help. After passing the Hyangsi examination, I returned to my hometown and taught younger students. One of my pupils came to take this year’s Hyangsi, so I accompanied him here and happened to meet Elder Ahn.”
“Did your student pass?”
“Of course.”
Should I ask for the student’s name and verify it?
This was the difficult part.
If I questioned him too thoroughly, it would seem like I was openly doubting him, and I’d feel guilty for no reason.
Just because he was Rank 8 didn’t necessarily mean he couldn’t teach. My brothers were unranked, after all.
Still, no matter how I thought about it, Rank 8 didn’t seem good enough to have passed the Hyangsi himself.
If I hadn’t possessed the ability to see ranks, I would’ve gladly hired Hwang In.
He didn’t look down on me for being a woman either.
Ah, what a waste.
“Thank you for coming. Please return for now; we’ll contact you later.”
“If Elder Ahn hadn’t requested it, I would’ve already left for my hometown. I must depart by tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“I understand.”
After Hwang In left, my strength drained away.
The people recommended by Mok Seonhu had talent but terrible personalities, while the people my father slipped in among them were obvious frauds.
“I’ll pay as much tuition as necessary. Please teach my child twice as much.”
Back in modern times, I heard parents say things like this all the time.
They treated studying like a vending machine: put in more coins, get more results.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have the time.”
What that answer really meant was:
If I had more time, I could raise your child’s grades endlessly—but I’m such a popular instructor that I simply don’t have the time.
The truth, however, was that there was no guarantee teaching twice as much would improve grades.
Your child was already studying at maximum capacity, and this was probably their final limit.
If I told parents that honestly?
The academy would collapse immediately.
People absolutely refused to acknowledge the reality of their own children’s abilities.
I became curious how Candidate Number Five, Young Master Jeong, would answer a similar question.
“My child is currently studying five shijin a day—about ten hours—but it still seems insufficient. I’m considering increasing it by another shijin. What do you think?”
If he simply answered, “Increase the study time,” then he’d fail immediately.
Despite the sudden question, Young Master Jeong didn’t look surprised. His cold eyes sharpened slightly as he opened his mouth.
At that moment, Candidate Number Five’s rank appeared.
