Chapter 293: A Night of Drinking

Park Deok-hwan was already accustomed to such invitations and went along readily.

Unexpectedly, he was not invited to a tavern or a private home, but to a brothel.

This brothel was formerly under the jurisdiction of the garrison and specifically served officials and the wealthy families on the island. Therefore, the quality of the courtesans was very high. They were all government slaves from the northern provinces and the yangban and middle classes, given priority.

Although a notice had been posted releasing all government slaves, the work of the military administration committee had not yet reached a very detailed level, and there was no plan for how to deal with the brothels and courtesans. Therefore, the managing owner was happy to feign ignorance and continue his business.

For the first half of the month, the brothel’s business was very poor—the patrons had either fled, died, been captured, or were in hiding. But recently, as the situation calmed down, not only did the wealthy households and Confucian scholars in and out of the town want to continue their enjoyment, but the lower-level officials like the clerks of the six departments had also resumed their work, so the brothel’s business flourished again.

In the past, Park Deok-hwan had often frequented the brothel to run errands for the masters. He had never dreamed that he would be able to enter a room as a guest—in the past, he would have been hit a few times with the madam’s pipe for just glancing inside.

In the private room, formerly reserved for officials like the magistrate and the county supervisor, a lavish feast was already laid out. Twenty-four dishes of kimchi of various flavors were arranged in a dazzling display, a riot of red and purple that was a sight to behold. Half were vegetables, and half were seaweed. Jeju was a place that relied heavily on the bounty of the sea.

The host of the banquet, Hwang Un-u, was drinking, flanked by two heavily made-up official courtesans. Also seated at the table were two other guests—Park Deok-hwan recognized them both. One was Hwang Un-u’s clerk, specifically responsible for liaison with the mainland, named Choe Hyeon-taek. The other was a clerk under Kim Man-il, named Jo Myeong-gwi.

He was not very familiar with Jo Myeong-gwi—he was a man from the household of the island’s foremost wealthy man. Even a mere slave from that household walked the streets with arrogance, let alone a clerk of some status like Jo Myeong-gwi.

In the past, he had only watched Jo Myeong-gwi from a distance, entering and leaving the brothels and taverns, and sometimes even the garrison. Not just ordinary officials, but even the magistrate himself would be polite to him.

Each guest had a courtesan pouring wine for them. The environment and atmosphere immediately made Park Deok-hwan feel a little constrained.

Seeing Park Deok-hwan enter, looking a bit at a loss, Hwang Un-u quickly called out:

“Don’t you see Master Park is waiting? Hurry up and sit by his side and serve him well!”

Two official courtesans, who had been waiting, immediately pressed close to him, their warm, fragrant bodies filling his back. Park Deok-hwan’s face immediately turned red. Before his family’s downfall, he had attended banquets as a young master, but he had never attended a banquet where courtesans were openly summoned to accompany the guests, due to his age and status. The gorgeous clothes and strong scent of powder on the courtesans made his mind wander.

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pour wine for Master Park!”

An official courtesan filled his cup, her face bearing a subservient expression.

Park Deok-hwan recognized her: the top courtesan of the brothel, Jo Ae-yun. She was also the daughter of a middle-class family. Like Park Deok-hwan, she had been demoted to a slave here because her family was implicated in factional strife. Due to her outstanding beauty, she had become an official courtesan. Because she was literate and well-versed in poetry, she quickly became the private property of the officials. Lower-level officials rarely even had the honor of having her pour their wine. As for someone like Park Deok-hwan, he rarely even had a chance to see her from a distance.

Now, to have her pour his wine and smile at him, Park Deok-hwan couldn’t help but feel elated and drank it all down in one gulp.

The other was also an acquaintance: Yi Man-hui. He had originally considered her for marriage—he hadn’t expected her to become an official courtesan. No wonder she had disappeared over a month ago; she had already entered the brothel!

Her serving smile was still very stiff, and she was not adept at pouring wine and serving food. It was clear she was new to this profession.

The wine was of the best quality. The brothel had a stock of fine wine, all transported from the mainland, exclusively for the enjoyment of high officials and wealthy men. If I hadn’t promptly pledged my allegiance to the “Chief,” I would never have had such an enjoyment today! Park Deok-hwan thought.

The men at the table exchanged glances but did not get to the main topic, instead taking turns toasting him and saying flattering words. Park Deok-hwan was in high spirits, and with the courtesans fawning over him, the atmosphere quickly became congenial.

After three rounds of drinks, Hwang Un-u, seeing that Park Deok-hwan was a little tipsy, gave the courtesans a look. The courtesans all stood up and withdrew. A servant brought in “main dishes” like grilled beef slices and ginseng wild chicken.

Only then did Hwang Un-u speak:

“Master Park is held in high regard by the Kunren masters. We are truly impressed,” he said. “I hear Master Park has another important task?”

Although Park Deok-hwan was young, he was no stranger to this kind of thing. He didn’t know the saying “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” but he was well aware of the meaning behind such a “banquet.” As soon as the other party spoke, he knew what they wanted to say.

He put down his chopsticks and, while chewing on a slice of beef, said, “So Master Hwang already knows. Then I won’t explain further. There is indeed such a matter.”

“This is a very big business! Brother Park is truly young and promising,” Choe Hyeon-taek said with a grin, pouring him a cup of wine.

Park Deok-hwan laughed it off. He realized that since the other party had mentioned his task, they were clearly after the bows and arrows and materials.

He quickly connected the dots. The merchant group Hwang Un-u served purchased a large number of bows and arrows from Jeju every year. He was clearly eyeing the bows and arrows and materials currently stored in the government armories. And Master Kim’s man was also present—Master Kim was a major pasture owner and sold a large amount of cowhide, tendons, and ox horns every year, all of which were materials for making bows…

Thinking of this, he understood completely. Park Deok-hwan felt a little uneasy. This was not a small amount of stuff. Although he had no idea how many bows and arrows and raw materials there were, bows and arrows were a major export product of Jeju, and it was definitely not a small number.

Park Deok-hwan had no objection to using his power to get some benefits for himself. This was the custom of the time. But if the matter was too big, it would be a different story. Therefore, he suddenly became very cautious and said vaguely:

“I wonder what Master Hwang has in mind?”

“Then I will speak frankly,” Hwang Un-u said, pointing to the other guests. “These two gentlemen, I believe Master Park also knows them. They are both figures closely related to this matter and will certainly not speak carelessly.”

Park Deok-hwan nodded, his mind racing.

Hwang Un-u whispered his request.

In short, he was asking Park Deok-hwan to erase a portion of the inventory when reporting the data.

“…This is not difficult,” Hwang Un-u said. “The Chiefs don’t use bows and arrows and have no interest in them. They just want to make some money from waste. They don’t know how to make bows. As long as you make a small change with your brush, it will be done.”

The manufacture and trade of bows and arrows were specialized businesses. Not to mention outsiders, even the locals of Jeju who were not in the trade would not know the details. Park Deok-hwan knew that Hwang Un-u’s words were not an exaggeration.

Given how busy Chief Feng and the others were, they would indeed not pay much attention to this matter. Hwang Un-u was right; the Chiefs only wanted to count these things for “waste utilization.”

Greed welled up in his heart. Working for the Chiefs gave him great satisfaction in his self-esteem, and his life had certainly improved a lot. He was now planning to build a bigger house and marry a woman worthy of his status—all of which required money…

“…After this is done, Master Park will get thirty percent of the profits,” Hwang Un-u whispered, stuffing a small silk pouch into his hand.

The silk pouch was heavy, probably with silver. Park Deok-hwan’s heart was in a fierce struggle, but he did not push it away.

“I also have a favor to ask. As long as Master Park can be lenient with his brush, my master will certainly reward you handsomely!”

The speaker was Jo Myeong-gwi. His face was wreathed in a flowery smile, his eyes narrowed to a slit, with a glint of cunning showing from time to time.

Jo Myeong-gwi’s master was Kim Man-il, who held a second-rank official title and was the wealthiest man on the island.

The owner of the largest bow and arrow shop in Jeju was the Kim family. In addition, the Kim family’s “Myeongjeok Manor” monopolized the raw materials for bow and arrow making for the entire island and even half of Korea. Kim Man-il would certainly do his utmost to protect these interests.

He could not expose Master Kim’s business to these outsiders, and at the same time, he had to underreport the inventory.

“…My master’s wealth and power, I believe Master Park is also aware of,” Jo Myeong-gwi said. “He will certainly not let Master Park work for nothing.” As he spoke, he also presented a gift.

After the banquet, Hwang Un-u wanted to keep him, saying he would have Jo Ae-yun spend the night with him, but Park Deok-hwan was in no mood for it and repeatedly declined.

After Park Deok-hwan left, Hwang Un-u had another table of food and wine set up and continued drinking with Choe Hyeon-taek and Jo Myeong-gwi.

The night was very late. The lanterns outside the brothel had been taken down, and the main gate was closed and locked. Hwang Un-u instructed the madam to have all the irrelevant people go to rest and not to serve them any longer, nor to have any courtesans accompany them for drinks. The thick darkness enveloped the courtyard of the brothel. The three men drank by a very dim light, speaking in low voices.

The topic of their conversation naturally revolved around the matter just discussed. Making a big profit on the bows and arrows was indeed their intention, but beyond that, these three men had other plans.

The sudden collapse of the Joseon’s rule on Jeju Island had presented a great opportunity for the island’s powerful and wealthy to seize benefits. The bows and arrows were just their first step. These men and their backer, Kim Man-il, had even bigger ideas.

The government horse pastures on the island held tens of thousands of government horses and a large number of cattle and sheep. Now that the government had collapsed and the newly arrived Kunren Wokou had not yet had time to attend to this matter—besides, they couldn’t imagine what use the sea-raiding Kunren Wokou would have for horses, cattle, and sheep—it was a good opportunity to seize this great wealth.

Even if the court returned to the island one day, they could blame it all on the Kunren Wokou.