Chapter 153
The innkeeper had not exaggerated when he called her a beauty.
She gave Yeon Ryang and me a slight bow before speaking.
“This conversation may take some time... Perhaps we should move somewhere more private first.”
“No. I have no intention of having a long conversation. You know better than anyone that this fool cannot be allowed back onto that platform. I’m taking her with me.”
“I’m afraid that would be difficult. Young Hero Yang has already signed a contract.”
Jang Miryeo smiled as though there was no room for argument. Startled, I grabbed Yang Gyojin by the shoulders and shook her.
“A contract? You signed a contract too? When?”
“Hm? Yeah. I signed it after I finished eating the meat. I couldn’t be bothered to read it, though.”
“Y-You signed it without even reading it? You idiot!”
“Easy, Sohae. Calm down.”
“What? You couldn’t be bothered? Reading the contract was too much trouble, but coating your palm in ink wasn’t? Why do you bother eating when it’s so much trouble? Why do you bother breathing? Why don’t you just drown yourself in a saucer?”
“Sohae? Sohae, let’s loosen your grip. You’re going to break Heir Apparent Yang’s bones.”
Laughing, Yeon Ryang lifted me off my feet and pulled me away from Yang Gyojin. Still fuming, I pointed at her.
“Yang Gyojin, never sign another contract by yourself. If anyone puts a contract in front of you, discuss it with someone else before deciding. Do not make the decision on your own. Understood?”
“Aw.”
“Don’t ‘aw’ me! I’m writing to the Yang Family Estate right now and telling them to come get you! Until they reply, you will do absolutely nothing. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Yang Gyojin nodded with a dejected expression.
As I struggled to calm myself, Jang Miryeo’s eyes curved into crescents.
“Are you willing to speak with me now?”
“...Yes. It seems we do need to talk.”
I narrowed my eyes and glared at her.
*****
Contrary to my expectation that she had found an easy mark and intended to bleed her dry, the contract was perfectly fair.
In exchange for Yang Gyojin winning the marriage tournament and marrying Jang Miryeo, Jang Miryeo had offered the following terms.
Jang Miryeo of the Golden Dragon Trading Company would bear all expenses required to maintain the marriage, which would remain in effect until she became Trading Company Master.
Throughout the marriage, ten percent of the company’s annual profits would be paid to the Yang Family Estate.
Even after the marriage ended, three percent of the company’s annual profits would continue to be paid to the Yang Family Estate for ten years.
There were also numerous smaller clauses accommodating Yang Gyojin’s needs, a detailed procedure for terminating the contract if she failed to win, and compensation determined by the severity of any injuries she suffered during the tournament.
No matter how intently I read and reread the pages, I could find no ambiguous wording open to interpretation.
That only made it more suspicious.
This is almost disturbingly reasonable.
I set down the contract with a dubious expression. I wanted to find fault with something, but there was not a single objectionable clause.
“You...write remarkably good contracts.”
When I reluctantly offered that much praise, Jang Miryeo placed both hands on the table and smiled.
“People of the martial world are not the only ones who value trust. Credibility is equally important to a merchant. Who would wish to trade with me if the terms were unclear?”
“If credibility matters so much to you, why did you accept her signature when she hadn’t even read the contract?”
At my protest, Jang Miryeo looked embarrassed.
“I urged Young Hero Yang several times to read it carefully, but she complained that the writing was too small and refused...”
Yang Gyojin! You made it impossible for me even to blame the other party!
I whipped my head toward her. Yang Gyojin subtly averted her gaze and began edging away from me. Jang Miryeo added soothingly, “I did explain every condition to her one by one. As you saw from the contract, I am hardly in a position to play tricks. I must avoid the marriage presently being forced upon me.”
So she had staged this entire deception to avoid another marriage.
A sigh escaped me.
I had experienced the same thing. It was difficult to accept having one’s future decided without any regard for one’s wishes. Of course she wanted to escape by any means available.
“...I understand your position, Miss Jang. I doubt there is a single daughter in the Central Plains who welcomes a political marriage.”
Rubbing the corner of my eye, I continued.
“But you went too far. Have you considered the harm Gyojin will suffer if the truth ever comes out? Your marriage may simply be annulled, but it will be different for her. She’ll be branded a fraud, and the Yang Family Estate’s honor will be dragged through the dirt. How do you expect her to deal with that?”
Yang Gyojin waved dismissively with an innocent smile.
“Oh, that’s fine. The Yang Family Estate doesn’t have any honor like that.”
“Hey! That’s your own family!”
“It really is fine. My family doesn’t attach much importance to marriage in the first place. My mother had me without getting married. I’ve never even seen my father’s face.”
“...What?”
“She said she seduced a martial artist with strong bones and a handsome face so she could have me. Apparently that’s why I’m stupid. She told me I should choose a well-educated man.”
“...”
What was I supposed to say to that?
Faced with family circumstances too complicated to comment on, Jang Miryeo and I exchanged glances, our eyes shifting awkwardly.
Unlike us, Yang Gyojin herself looked completely unconcerned and merely helped herself to the refreshments.
“...Your mother must be quite an extraordinary woman.”
“It isn’t just my mother. None of my aunts married either. Our family’s secret arts are passed down through the maternal line. They say we can cause all the trouble we want as long as we come home to give birth. That’s our family motto.”
“Tradition.”
“Right. Tradition. Anyway, it’ll be fine. Once Mother hears about this, she’ll beat me with her spear for a few days and let it go.”
Yang Gyojin shrugged, then looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“So can’t I stay in the tournament? I want to help Miryeo.”
“Suppose you win and marry her. What will you do afterward?”
“Couldn’t I disappear on a journey through the martial world right after the ceremony? I’ve noticed plenty of men leave home and never return. If I never come back, they’ll assume I died somewhere on the road.”
“...”
“Pfft! She’s not wrong.”
Yeon Ryang’s shoulders shook as he wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. I glared at Yang Gyojin and let out a hollow laugh.
“Yang Gyojin, you aren’t stupid. You simply refuse to use your brain.”
“What’s the difference?”
“You’re remarkably good at figuring out exactly how far you can push your luck.”
Had she started pestering me for food because I looked like someone who would feed her?
Once I realized that Yang Gyojin had never intended to settle down at the Golden Dragon Trading Company, I felt somewhat relieved.
I wasn’t sure this was a situation in which I should feel relieved, but at least she was unlikely to be exposed for impersonating a man in Yueyang and become the subject of nasty rumors.
“Even so, we must write to the Yang Family Estate. The moment you identified yourself as a member of the family on that platform, this marriage stopped being your concern alone. It became a family matter, Yang Gyojin.”
“All right.”
“I trust you agree, Miss Jang.”
“I will provide the fastest messenger hawk in the company.”
Jang Miryeo smiled reassuringly.
It was a bright, flowerlike smile, which only made her seem more suspicious. I half expected her to intercept the letter along the way.
“No. I’ll arrange to send it myself. Sigh... You should at least have made her use an alias. As someone in the merchant world, surely you could have anticipated this much.”
Jang Miryeo’s eyes curved as she smiled and gazed steadily at Yang Gyojin.
“I did recommend that Young Hero Yang use an alias out of concern for what might happen later. However, she insisted it would be fine and registered under her real name...”
“Why would I use an alias when I already have a perfectly good name?”
“I’m truly going to lose my mind. Yang Gyojin, just keep your mouth shut.”
“Brother, Sohae has become just like my mother in only a few days.”
“I told you to keep your mouth shut.”
“Yes.”
Startled, Yang Gyojin clasped her hands over her stomach and closed her mouth. Jang Miryeo suppressed a laugh and looked at me.
“Young Hero Yang has a good friend who truly cares about her. I envy her.”
I took a sip of tea to ease my frustration. Jang Miryeo gracefully refilled my empty cup and lowered her voice.
“This may look like the reckless escapade of an immature girl, but to me, it is a desperate matter. My life depends on this marriage tournament.”
“Your life?”
When I frowned and repeated the question, Yang Gyojin, who had been watching my reaction, leaned over and whispered, “Miryeo’s uncle took control of the company’s people while her father was ill. That’s why her father is forcing her into marriage. He needs someone he can entrust Miryeo to. I suppose he wants to take in a son-in-law before he dies.”
“Hey. You can’t say it like that in front of Miss Jang.”
I hurriedly poked Yang Gyojin in the side. Jang Miryeo waved it off calmly.
“It is all right. It is true that my father is gravely ill.”
“Ahaha. Yes...”
I laughed awkwardly and let the remark pass. Yang Gyojin resumed her explanation.
“But every man being pushed forward as a candidate belongs to her uncle’s faction, so Miryeo proposed the marriage tournament as a last resort. Her uncle would have a harder time rigging a martial contest. If Miryeo marries one of his men...”
“I will become a bride murdered by her groom on their wedding night. My uncle cannot seize complete control of the company while I remain alive.”
Jang Miryeo calmly finished the sentence. My brow furrowed at the gravity of her words.
They discussed all that? Maybe this fool is more thoughtful than she appears...
“That’s why I offered to compete. Miryeo said she’d feed me for the rest of my life if I won. She said I could come here for food whenever I wanted. The snacks here are delicious too.”
“Of course... If you win, you’ll be Miss Jang’s husband. Why would she let you starve?”
...Of course. I was a fool for expecting anything more.
Regardless of how much I resented Jang Miryeo for involving someone she had only just met in such a serious affair, I could not help feeling concerned after hearing that her uncle wanted her dead.
I knew firsthand how cruel people within the shelter of a family could become for the sake of their own interests.
Now I couldn’t simply oppose the plan.
I rubbed my throbbing head as I considered what to say, only to sense a presence above the ceiling. Someone was creeping closer to eavesdrop on our conversation.
Yeon Ryang noticed it as well and quietly called my name.
“Sohae.”
“Yeah. A rat got in.”
“What do you mean?”
While Jang Miryeo looked at us in confusion, Yang Gyojin leaped up without hesitation and thrust her sword through the ceiling.
“Oh!”
Jang Miryeo covered her mouth in shock.
Yang Gyojin carved through the ceiling in one stroke, sealed the black-clad intruder’s acupoints, and dragged him down. The man crashed noisily onto the floor.
Yang Gyojin seized him by the collar and growled viciously.
“Who the hell are you?”