Chapter 313
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 313
Chapter 313. The Emperor's Errand (4)
Our destination is Gansu Province.
The shortest route is to pass through Shanxi and cross the Ningxia, but the terrain is very rough.
To do so, we would have to cross not only Mount Tai in Beijing, but also Mount Heng and Mount Wutai in northern Shanxi.
Therefore, we chose to go south of Hebei, take a boat in Kaifeng, go up the Yellow River, and go to Lanzhou in Gansu Province.
Also, since we are going south at first, we can make those who are chasing us believe that we are really going to Guangdong Province.
And unless we use our movement arts to sprint, it is faster and easier to travel by boat than by land on horseback.
Even if it meant going upstream.
With people chasing us, we had to go fast to lose them.
Another reason for avoiding the land route was that civil unrest was breaking out in various places.
About three or four days after leaving Beijing, we were slowly approaching Kaifeng.
Kaifeng was the capital of the old empire, so there were many historical sites and it was a bustling place.
As it was located on a river, it was also a place where large markets were held.
As soon as we arrived in Kaifeng, we decided to find a boat.
You can find a boat by walking around, but the easiest way is to find an inn near the riverbank.
This is because inns near the river also specialized in arranging boats.
We headed for the largest and most luxurious inn among them. Even if we were being pursued, it would be sad to give up a comfortable bed and warm meals.
And what pursuer would think that we would stay at such a high-class inn?
And thanks to our secret departure at night, we would have some distance between us and our pursuers.
“Welcome.”
As we entered the inn, a waiter greeted us.
“Leave the horses to us.”
“Thank you.”
He gave us a mark to distinguish our horses. We would use that mark to find them later.
We went inside and approached the waiter in charge of the rooms.
This time, I didn't leave it to Pal-gap and Seo-woo, but dealt with the waiter myself.
“We'd like to stay for a few days.”
“Are you looking for a boat?”
“Yes.”
I didn't say how many days we would be staying because I didn't know when the boat would leave.
“I see. What kind of room would you like?”
“Do you have a room where eight of us can stay together?”
“We do have a large room that can accommodate about ten people, but as you know, those rooms are either the highest or lowest grade.”
The waiter smiled and continued.
“Of course, you would want the best. It is 600 silver coins per night.”
It was quite expensive for lodging, but it was to be expected for the best room in such a high-class inn.
“I'll take that room. Oh, and please find a boat to Lanzhou in Gansu.”
“Certainly. The room charge is payable in advance. If you wish to stay another night, please let us know before lunch and pay the room charge in advance.”
I paid the room charge immediately.
The waiter who came to our call showed us to our room on the top floor of the inn.
“Here you are. This is the largest and best room in our inn.”
Perhaps because it was the highest-class room that could accommodate up to ten people, everything was luxurious.
There was a common area in the middle and four rooms on the left and right.
“Wow! This is amazing!”
It was so gorgeous that Pal-gap was impressed, and Myeongjong and Chang-woon, who were staying in a room like this for the first time, looked around with wide eyes.
I smiled and handed the waiter a silver coin.
“Please take good care of us during our stay here.”
“Of course. If you need anything, just pull the rope. Have a good rest.”
The waiter bowed politely and left, and I said to my companions, “Let's rest for today. We'll be busy starting tomorrow.”
“Let's rest today. We'll be busy starting tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
There were four rooms, so I took one for myself and the other five for the six warriors.
.
.
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The next day
When I went downstairs for breakfast, the waiter approached me.
“Sir, you asked me to find a boat to Gansu Province, right?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“There is a boat leaving early tomorrow morning for Lanzhou in Gansu Province.”
He handed us some documents, which included a diagram of the boat, the captain's career, the number of crew members, and the number of passengers.
Excluding the captain and crew, the ship could carry fifty passengers.
Considering the food and luggage we would need for the trip to Lanzhou, it was a fairly large ship.
In any case, the timing was perfect.
“All right. Let's go with this ship.”
“How many passengers?”
“Eight. And we have eight horses.”
“I'll prepare it.”
After exchanging a few words with the waiter and the boatman, we started eating breakfast.
If we were leaving tomorrow morning, we had to hurry.
There wasn't much to prepare, but there were things that needed to be done.
After breakfast, we went to the downtown area of Kaifeng.
The downtown area of Kaifeng was quite impressive.
“It seems similar to Hangzhou.”
I nodded at Palgak's words. However, there was a difference.
While Hangzhou was famous for its taverns, this place was famous for its tea. Perhaps because of its pride as a former capital, people enjoyed tea more than alcohol.
Therefore, it was said that poets should drink tea at a local tea house and recite their poems.
And since it is not far from Hubei, I often visited here in my past life.
So I am familiar with the geography here.
“Let's buy some beef jerky over there.”
“I didn't know there was a shop selling dried food in a place like this.”
Seo Mu-sa was impressed.
I thought we found the shop by chance while wandering around, but that was not the case.
We were deliberately led to that shop.
The dried meat at that shop is quite delicious.
I bought more dried meat than the number of people in our group.
Then Pal-gap tilted his head and asked.
“Why are you buying so much?”
“I have a use for it.”
As we wandered around eating jerky, it was soon lunchtime.
I glanced behind me.
I saw a beggar with a bowl in front of him.
He was acting as if he had been begging there all along, but he couldn't escape my senses.
He had been following us. He was begging everywhere we went.
Those who weren't paying attention wouldn't have noticed, but there were beggars with the same aura everywhere we went.
And memorizing people's faces is my specialty.
I looked at the beggar's waistband.
There were three knots.
He was a disciple of the Beggars Sect. And a fairly high-ranking one at that.
After all, as a disciple of the Beggars Sect, he would know who I am. The Beggars Sect is a member of the Nine Sects One Union.
That's why a high-ranking Taoist followed me. To find out information about me.
In that case, it's a good thing for me.
I approached the beggar and tore some of the jerky I had bought earlier into pieces and put them in his begging bowl.
“Thank you very much, sir.”
“I guess you were curious about my information.”
“What do you mean?”
“You already know who I am, yet you pretend not to.”
“...”
He rolled his eyes.
“You must be hungry. Have some jerky. It's quite delicious.”
“...Gulp.”
No matter how much he was a Beggars Sect member, he was still a beggar.
He looked at the jerky I gave him, hesitated, and finally picked it up and put it in his mouth.
“Here, have some water.”
I poured water from my canteen into a gourd and handed it to him, and he obediently took it and drank it all in one gulp.
“Would you like some more jerky?”
“No, thank you.”
However, his eyes were fixed on the jerky in my hand.
Now that he had tasted the famous jerky, he couldn't take his eyes off it.
Isn't there a saying that goes like that?
The scariest taste is the taste you know.
“Don't you like it? It seems like you didn't like the taste.”
“No, no, that's not it...”
“Then would you like some more?”
I offered him some more jerky, and he reached out his hand toward it.
He devoured the jerky in an instant.
Seeing that, I smiled like a merchant.
“Then you have to pay for the beef jerky.”
“What?”
“I didn't say the beef jerky was free.”
“...”
He looked flustered and argued with me.
“Where is that the rule? Of course, when you give something to a beggar, you don't expect anything in return.”
“Really?”
I smiled faintly.
“To be honest, isn't giving alms to beggars a good deed that you do in the hope that it will bring you good fortune? I know that's how I feel, at least. Of course, there are probably some people who don't expect anything in return. Those people are truly good people.”
I continued.
“But I'm not that good of a person.”
“I heard you were known for your kindness...”
“Isn't good and evil relative? I'm not so kind as to be kind to someone who follows me around like that.”
“...!”
He flinched at my words.
“So what do you want from me? You don't want money, do you?”
“Information.”
“You want information for just a piece of jerky? Even if you are a merchant, isn't that a little too much?”
“Aren't you being a little too hasty? When did I say I would buy information?”
“No, you didn't?”
“Yes.”
“Then what do you want?”
He seemed flustered by my response and coughed repeatedly.
“Is the Boss here in Beggars Sect?”
“...!”
“I want to see the Boss.”
.
.
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A moment later.
Our group headed for the headquarters of Beggars Sect. The beggar who guided us was the one who had given me the jerky.
“Here we are.”
He led us to a shabby building. Above it hung a sign that read “Beggars Sect.”
Due to the nature of the Beggars Sect, they tried not to attract attention, so the sign was not grand.
In front of it, beggars sat idly, scratching their bellies. However, their eyes were sharply scanning the surroundings.
When we approached, one of them asked.
“What is it?”
“We are guests.”
“Guests? With a handsome face... and a bear-like servant... Could it be Seonhyeok-mi?”
I said with a smile.
“You recognize me. I guess I'm more famous than I thought. Then, may we go in?”
He nodded in response to my question.
I greeted them and went inside.
The outside was shabby, but the inside was even worse.
I guess you could call it Beggars Sect.
“This way.”
Following the beggar who guided us, we headed toward the back of the building.
There was a beggar sitting under a tree.
He had white hair and nine knots on his belt.
The staff at his waist was the Boss's sacred object.
We bowed politely with our hands clasped together.
“I am Eunseoho, and I have come to see the Boss.”
“Hmm...”
He slowly raised his head and looked at me.
“So, you wanted to see me?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“People call you a noble warrior, but you are essentially a merchant. So, what do you want from an old man like me?”
“First, please accept this as a token of my sincerity.”
I took the slip of paper out of my pocket and handed it to him. When the Boss saw it, his eyebrows shot up.
“This is a little too much as a token of my sincerity, isn't it?”
“That's right. It's not just a token of my sincerity. It also contains a small request.”
“A request?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Soon, there will be people here who want information about me. I would like you to tell them that our destination is Guangdong Province.”
“Isn't that your real destination?”
As expected of the Boss of the Beggars Sect.
He knew that my real destination was not Guangdong Province.
“Are you asking us to give our customers false information? What about the damage to our reputation?”
“Just this once. After that, you can reveal my real destination.”
“...
”Isn't it hard for you these days because you can't even beg due to the poor harvest?“
”...
“If you don't want to, I'll forget about it. Please give me back the receipt.”
“Hey! You!”
Boss nodded with a complicated look on his face.
“All right. Just this once.”
“Thank you.”
Currently, the largest information groups are the Hao Clan and the Beggars Sect.
That means we only need to control the information from those two places.
Then, shall we go and deal with the Hao Clan?
We had no choice but to spend a large sum of money for this, but our safety is more important than money.
We can earn money anytime.
And we plan to get all the money we spent this time back from the emperor, with interest.
.
.
.
The next morning.
We headed to the landing stage to board the boat arranged by the inn.
We immediately boarded the boat, and it set sail for Lanzhou in Gansu Province.
***
A day after Eunseoho and his party left.
A group of people appeared in Kaifeng.
“They must have stayed here to cross the river. Ask the Hao Clan and the Beggars Sect.”
“Yes!”
A short time later, they returned with the same answer.
“They headed south.”
“According to our information, they seem to be heading for Guangdong Province.”
“I knew it. Let's go!”
“Yes!”