Chapter 07
Hwiyeom said to Elder Bak Changeon,
“We need to change the packaging for the products we’ve made.”
“How should we do it?”
“The quantity doesn’t matter. I want them placed in extremely luxurious boxes—good enough for noble ladies of the highest class.”
“But then we won’t make any profit.”
“We don’t need many of them, and the materials themselves don’t have to be expensive.
I heard the craftsmen of the main family are exceptionally skilled, especially when it comes to carving small objects. Is that true?”
“It is. The ability to carve fine details is essential for making concealed weapons.”
“I’ll ask the Family Head to assign us a few more craftsmen.
If they engrave elaborate patterns into the boxes, the material cost won’t increase much, but they’ll look several times more expensive.”
“Well… if we’re simply transferring the products into new boxes, I suppose there shouldn’t be a problem…”
Bak Changeon still looked doubtful, as if wondering how prettier boxes could possibly solve the problem.
Hwiyeom smiled.
“Trust me, Elder Bak.
Before long, every shop in Chengdu will come begging you to let them sell our products.”
“If that truly happens, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Hwiyeom immediately went to see his father, Dang Unsang.
After greeting him, he explained the current situation.
Dang Unsang frowned.
“That Gong Duchan…
How can a Tang Family elder threaten merchants not to buy Tang Family products?
Good. I’ll use this as an excuse to remove him.”
“I understand your feelings completely, Father.
But at the moment, it’s only suspicion.
Even if you move against him now, you don’t have enough justification to strip him of his elder’s position. It will simply end inconclusively.”
“Hmm… That’s true.
And we still don’t have the ability to force repayment of the debts backed by Cha-hwa Money House.
How frustrating.”
Dang Unsang sighed.
“What’s more, it’s embarrassing that I’m hearing this from you instead of receiving reports from the other elders or the Sakpungdan.”
“Can the Sakpungdan be trusted?”
“Until now, I believed so.
Now… I’m no longer sure.”
“Well, as long as they aren’t openly hostile, that’s enough.
Didn’t I already say there are no eternal enemies or allies in politics? Especially among family.
The ones sitting on the fence—or foolishly siding with the Elder Council—will naturally come back and bow to you once you gain real authority.
And power comes from money.”
“Power comes from money…
As the head of the family, I can’t deny that.
Still, isn’t martial arts the true foundation of a martial clan?
Recovering our lost hidden weapon techniques, martial arts, and weapon-making methods—that is what will truly restore the Tang Family.”
Here, the difference between Hwiyeom and Dang Unsang became clear.
Unlike Hwiyeom, who had been a businessman, Dang Unsang had been born and raised as a martial artist.
Their perspectives were fundamentally different.
It wasn’t that Dang Unsang lacked intelligence.
It was simply the result of the lives they had lived.
Still, Hwiyeom believed this difference was one reason the Tang Family had struggled for so long.
He carefully searched for a way to persuade his father without hurting his pride.
Then he spoke.
“With my limited understanding, Father is absolutely right.
But your plan requires time.
If someone wishes to travel a thousand miles, the most important thing is an accurate map.
Martial arts are the family’s roots and the direction we must follow.
In that sense, Father is trying to create that map.”
“Exactly.”
“But even with the best map in the world, no one can travel a thousand miles without bringing rice and a cooking pot.”
“I see.”
Dang Unsang understood immediately.
“So you’re saying the restoration project is a long-term plan that could require enormous time and money.
Before that, we must first accumulate wealth so the family can stand on its own.”
“Exactly.”
As someone who had lived as a martial artist, Dang Unsang didn’t particularly like that answer.
Still, he made an effort to accept it.
Watching him, Hwiyeom thought quietly,
Martial artists are supposed to be stubborn and ridiculously proud… but my biological father is surprisingly open-minded. There’s hope after all.
“Very well.
Now, back to the matter at hand.
How do you intend to solve this?
Do you have a plan?”
“Please assign me three or four craftsmen from the Cheolujeon.
I want them to make luxurious cases for Bulgeonyeon, Micheopmuk, and Hogolgo.”
“The craftsmen are proud and stubborn.
If I order them, they’ll obey… but are you sure it’ll work?”
Dang Unsang was worried they might deliberately slack off even if they accepted the order.
Hwiyeom answered,
“I hope you’ll persuade them properly.
Tell them they aren’t wasting their talents on commerce.
Tell them they’re helping secure the future of the Tang Family.”
“…Very well.
Anything else?”
“Do we have connections with high-ranking officials in Chengdu?”
“The Provincial Administrator of Sichuan once had a close relationship with me.
If I request a private audience, he’ll probably agree.
Though it may require a considerable bribe.”
The Provincial Administration was, in modern terms, equivalent to the governor of an entire province.
Back when Hwiyeom had been running a small business, he’d had to bow even to the secretary of a city council member.
Without realizing it, his mouth fell open.
“Our family is supposed to be declining…
Yet we’re stronger than I thought.”
“They say even a ruined wealthy family lasts three generations.
So?
Are you suggesting we bribe the Provincial Administrator and have the government use our products?”
“No.
That isn’t elegant.
It costs too much, and more importantly, it isn’t very effective.”
“Then?”
“Father, according to a book called Eastern Miscellaneous Records…”
Of course, no such book existed.
Hwiyeom had simply invented it to serve as a convenient source whenever he needed to explain knowledge from another world.
Smiling, he continued,
“When it comes to lobbying…
—or rather, making requests—
the most effective method is to make the other party become eager to receive them.”
Dang Unsang immediately assigned three craftsmen to the Ointment Bureau.
Apparently he had explained the situation well, because the craftsmen arrived without complaint.
“What would you have us do, Young Master?”
The head craftsman, surnamed Han, asked.
Hwiyeom replied,
“Master Han, before anything else, I’d like to thank you for coming.
The same goes for the other two masters.”
Even though he had stood proudly before the elders, Hwiyeom bowed deeply to the craftsmen.
His calculations were simple.
If this dying family was ever going to recover, it would be through technology, products, and innovation.
To accomplish that, he absolutely had to win over the craftsmen.
Back when I ran a company, I never let my factory managers run out of company-card money for drinks.
Naturally, the craftsmen had no idea what he was thinking.
They simply stared at the deeply bowing young master in astonishment.
“P-Please raise your head, Young Master. This is embarrassing.”
“Very well.”
As Hwiyeom straightened up, Master Han cleared his throat.
His expression had already softened.
“So, you wish us to create elaborate boxes for the products?”
“Yes.
These will be used by the wives of Sichuan’s most influential families and the highest-priced courtesans in the finest pleasure houses.
Please make them as beautiful as possible.
Flowers, butterflies, phoenixes, peacocks—anything ladies would love.”
“We can do that for the cosmetics.
But what about Hogolgo?”
“For Hogolgo, carve a majestic tiger instead.
Military officers and generals will be using it.
We’ll also send some to Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect.”
The Qingcheng Sect and the Emei Sect had long been allies of the Tang Family.
Both housed hundreds of martial practitioners.
Naturally, they were excellent potential customers for Hogolgo.
“When do you need them?”
“For now, I’d like twenty boxes each for Micheopmuk and Bulgeonyeon.
There’s no rush for Hogolgo.
How long will it take?”
“Forty boxes total…
One day to prepare the designs, and two days to finish them.”
“I’ll give you three.
These are gifts for the Provincial Administrator’s wife and daughter.
Please put your hearts into them.”
“We’ll create something worthy of a queen.”
“I’m counting on you.
And this…”
Hwiyeom handed Master Han a separate money pouch.
“What is this?”
“A personal request.
I’d like a few made for my mother and aunts as well.”
“Ah.”
Master Han smiled.
“You could have simply asked us to make them together.
Why pay separately?”
“Personal and official matters should remain separate.”
“I heard you’re only seven years old.
You’re remarkably mature.”
“You flatter me.
Then I’ll be going.”
After politely bowing and leaving the Ointment Bureau, Hwiyeom disappeared from sight.
Watching his back, Master Han scratched his head.
“Well…
I feel like I’ve been charmed by a fox.
Seven years old?
Not seventeen?”
“Even if he were seventeen, he wouldn’t be like that.”
“They called him a prodigy.
The rumors weren’t exaggerated, Brother Han.”
“Hmm…”
Master Han thought for a moment before clapping his hands.
“Remember what the Family Head said?
The things we create will become the wealth that revives the family.
Let’s give it everything we’ve got.”
“Let’s do it!”
The craftsmen immediately got to work.
A week passed.
Hwiyeom presented the luxurious cosmetics to his mother, Eun Seollan, and his aunts.
They surrounded him and showered him with affection.
“My goodness, our Young Master made something this precious.”
“He really is a genius.
Sister-in-law, what more could you ask for?
You have a handsome husband and such an extraordinary son.
I’m so jealous.”
“My child is only just starting to memorize the Thousand Character Classic…”
“You have to tell us your secret to raising children, Sister-in-law!”
The women of the Tang Family were every bit as formidable with words as they were in other matters.
By the time Hwiyeom finally escaped their endless chatter, he felt like a pirate ship that had survived a storm.
Still, the results were exactly what he wanted.
It wasn’t merely that they appreciated the gifts.
The cosmetics themselves had passed the strict standards of experienced women.
The women of the Tang Family were especially sensitive to smells and skin reactions because they worked with poisons regularly.
After observing their reactions, Hwiyeom immediately developed another product by mixing aloe and cucumber juice into Tang Family Universal Ointment.
The result was a moisturizing skin treatment with excellent soothing properties.
He sent samples to the women.
The response surpassed even that of Micheopmuk and Bulgeonyeon.
The petroleum jelly soothed skin that had become rough from constant exposure to medicines and poisonous fumes.
One of Hwiyeom’s aunts loved it so much that she gave it a name herself.
Since it kept the skin moisturized for three days wherever it was applied, she named it Samilseol (“Three-Day Snow”).
Hwiyeom silently celebrated his success.
He immediately began producing Samilseol in larger quantities and had Master Han make luxurious gift boxes for it as well.
Only after everything was ready did he report to Dang Unsang.
Thus, on a pleasant spring afternoon,
Dang Unsang, Eun Seollan, and Hwiyeom’s family met with the Provincial Administrator of Sichuan and his wife for lunch.
