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Chapter 40
“No, that’s not something that should be decided like that!”
He had tried to speak calmly, but in the end his frustration burst out. Geum Seolha, who had been watching him with an indifferent expression, curled up the corner of her lips.
“If I become too heartbroken over this incident and happen to hand over a list of everyone involved to someone else, something very interesting could happen.”
At the horrifying possibility, cold sweat trickled down the Chief of the Jiangxi Branch’s forehead.
“If you do something like that, you won’t get away unharmed either—”
“Oh, come on. Do you really think I wouldn’t have prepared for that?”
Geum Seolha’s confident reply seemed to fool everyone.
As she looked at them with satisfaction, her eyes met Ha Dowoon’s and her body stiffened slightly.
You’re scamming them again, aren’t you?
Pretending not to notice his piercing gaze, Geum Seolha fixed her eyes on the branch chief.
“I may not look it, but I’m the granddaughter of the head of the Geumrin Merchant Guild. I’m a merchant’s daughter. Do you think I’d start something like this without calculating the risks?”
She had, in fact, started it without calculating that much.
‘But how would they ever verify it?’
Other than that, everything she said was perfectly reasonable.
‘To pull off a scam, you mix one part lies with nine parts truth.’
That way it sounds more convincing, and even if someone tries to verify it, it’s hard for them to find anything suspicious.
“We’re all in the same boat now. One body, one fate.”
Everyone fell silent at Geum Seolha’s shameless claim.
“Hah. I never thought I’d meet someone even more of a bandit than a branch chief.”
“Not a bandit—a merchant. I’d appreciate it if you called me a capable merchant.”
Geum Seolha grinned.
While Jeokrang looked her over as though wondering where such a creature had come from, the Chief of the Jiangxi Branch finally organized his thoughts.
“Tsk. I thought you were a snake hatchling, but it turns out you’re a dragon hatchling.”
“Wouldn’t people normally say baby snake or baby dragon?”
Ignoring her dubious reaction, the branch chief’s expression changed.
“Are you planning to become the Young Guild Master of Geumrin?”
“Well.”
She only wanted to return to those who had harmed Eunseol exactly what they deserved.
“The Young Guild Master of the Geumrin Merchant Guild, huh.”
There was plenty of work to do, and she hated troublesome positions.
Geum Seolha carefully watched the branch chief’s reaction. Judging by his expression, he seemed to think she coveted the position.
‘Let him keep misunderstanding.’
If he learned she had no interest in becoming Young Guild Master, he would withdraw his support immediately.
‘He might even switch sides to one of my uncles or aunts.’
That would be troublesome.
Concealing her true intentions, Geum Seolha joked lightly.
“But compared to my uncles, don’t I seem like the better investment?”
Without ever having met them, she ruthlessly belittled her uncles while praising herself.
“It won’t be easy.”
“If it’s an easy gamble, there’s no fun in winning. If you want a big payoff, you have to bet on a difficult game. So I think we’ve tested each other enough.”
Their gazes collided sharply.
“So I squeeze the people taking bribes from Hong Yeongryeong and make them demand repayment?”
“That’s right. Hong Yeongryeong doesn’t have money, so she’ll pay with goods instead. Once you receive those goods, make sure they never leave Jiangxi.”
“Keep them from leaving Jiangxi? Are you planning to take them back later?”
“Yes. They’re very important items.”
If Geum Seolha’s circumstances weren’t such a mess, she never would have let those things leave in the first place.
“If you want a large share for yourself, you can keep them.”
“I’ll charge a very high fee.”
“It’s not my money, so why should I care?”
Geum Seolha replied indifferently.
‘It isn’t mine anyway.’
Better to grease the palms of an accomplice and keep them motivated.
The branch chief brightened at the thought of getting his hands on money.
“You’re easier to talk to than I expected. Is that all you need?”
“Yes. I don’t need anything else.”
“You planned this from the moment you hired me.”
Geum Seolha subtly avoided his gaze.
She hadn’t originally intended to play this dirty.
“Anyway, handle it well. I’ll make sure the pot is big enough that you won’t regret it.”
“Fine, fine. Then what about my commission fee—”
“Tsk. What nonsense are you talking about? A commission fee? One wrong step and our heads could roll.”
Should I go report everything right now?
Geum Seolha’s eyes flashed.
How about we all die together? That sounds entertaining.
The branch chief swallowed back tears at her ironclad determination not to pay him separately.
Then Geum Seolha suddenly held out her hand.
The branch chief blinked.
“What’s this now?”
“What do you mean? You promised to give me my share of the commission money you collected from those people. Aren’t you handing it over?”
Just try not giving it to me.
Almost as if on cue, Ha Dowoon’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
Seeing this, the Chief of the Jiangxi Branch grabbed the back of his neck in outrage.
“I think ‘bandit’ suits you much better than ‘talented merchant.’”
Only Jeokrang seemed amused, laughing and enjoying the utter chaos.
In the end, the branch chief handed Geum Seolha a hefty amount of gold.
Forced to work without pay, he watched Geum Seolha and Ha Dowoon leave before scattering salt over the ground where they had stood.
“Urgh! To think there would come a day when a branch chief gets taken advantage of this badly! Hahaha!”
Jeokrang rolled on the floor laughing at the sight.
As promised, Hong Yeongryeong withdrew her influence from Geum Seolha’s residence.
Following So Yeongyeong’s advice, Geum Seolha brought in new maids, and peaceful days followed unlike ever before.
“By the way, Miss, there seems to be an unusually strong medicinal herb scent in your residence.”
“I go to the Medical Hall often. The smell probably soaked into my clothes.”
At Geum Seolha’s casual reply, So Yeongyeong tilted her head.
“Do you happen to keep sweets here too?”
“Sweets?”
“There’s a faint sweet fragrance mixed in with the herbal smell.”
“Hmm, really?”
Geum Seolha smiled meaningfully.
That scent wasn’t from sweets stored in her room.
It was the fragrance of a special medicinal ingredient.
Seeing no intention of receiving a proper answer, So Yeongyeong looked dissatisfied before suddenly clapping her hands.
“Come to think of it, you were right, Miss.”
“About what?”
“During the time you deliberately leave your room every day, I had different girls take turns cleaning it.”
She pulled something out from her sleeve.
“And then one of them hid this.”
“Silk?”
“And not just any silk. It’s top-grade silk.”
The glossy sheen alone made it obvious that it was valuable.
Geum Seolha tilted her head.
“She hid this? Was this all?”
“There are a few more items. Not all silk, but every one of them is valuable and expensive.”
“And she hid them among my belongings so they wouldn’t stand out?”
“Yes.”
Running her fingers over the silk, Geum Seolha chuckled.
It was obvious someone intended to use these items in some scheme.
“Search my residence thoroughly. Whenever you find things like this, bring them directly to me.”
“Is it really okay to leave that girl alone?”
“If we send her away, they’ll just bribe another girl. Leave her where she is.”
So Yeongyeong sighed deeply.
She disliked the idea, but she knew Geum Seolha was right.
“Understood. Then I suppose you no longer need to spend lunchtime wandering in the garden.”
“I’ll keep doing that.”
Geum Seolha answered firmly.
Caught off guard, So Yeongyeong blinked.
“Pardon?”
“I tried it and found I enjoyed it. So from now on, during the time I leave the residence, let that girl continue entering and causing trouble.”
“Understood.”
“And could you bring me the maid from Moran Pavilion… what was her name? Dan Suryeon?”
So Yeongyeong’s eyes widened.
“Senior Sister Suryeon?”
“I have a favor to ask of her.”
Patting the ledger hidden in her robes, Geum Seolha smiled brightly.
After giving it a lot of thought, she had concluded that this method would be the best way to properly send Hong Yeongryeong away.
Not long afterward, Dan Suryeon visited Geum Seolha’s residence.
The two talked for a long time before she left.
When Dan Suryeon departed, the ledger was tucked inside her robes.
And then a month passed.
Geum Seolha stared intently at So Yeongyeong, who had just arrived carrying her meal.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen? Did someone try to harm you?”
Ever since taking control of her residence back from Hong Yeongryeong, Geum Seolha had become especially attentive to the people around her.
She stood up as she asked.
“It’s nothing like that.”
So Yeongyeong shook her head.
“And even if someone tried to harm me, do you think I’d just let them?”
She set the meal down and squared her shoulders confidently.
But Geum Seolha narrowed her eyes.
“You don’t look so good for someone saying that.”
After everything that had happened to Yu Eunseol, Geum Seolha no longer overlooked even small details.
“I worked only in the Medical Hall before. I thought maybe someone was giving you trouble.”
“Honestly, Miss. Even if I worked in the Medical Hall, do you know how many maids I know outside of it?”
Waving her hands dismissively, So Yeongyeong tried to reassure her.
Geum Seolha recalled something from a month ago.
‘Yeongyeong really does know a lot of people.’
From fellow maids to martial artists of the Martial Hall, she was friendly enough with them all to chat comfortably.
“Do you have something worrying you?”
