Chapter 40
— — —
On a warm, sunny afternoon.
A soft, gentle voice reached the ears of Hong-seol, who was dozing in her chair.
“Young lady, have you been well?”
At that, Hong-seol’s eyes flew open, and she sat up straight.
The owner of the voice was Mrs. Hong from the drapery. She had just entered Hong-seol’s quarters for a dress fitting.
“Yes, I am well. But you, madam…”
Hong-seol glanced at Mrs. Hong with a worried expression.
Her cheeks were hollow, a testament to how much she had suffered.
“Um, the matter with the irises… has it been resolved?”
“Resolved? Heavens, no! Because of those scoundrels at the Myosu Trading Company, our drapery and the weaving guild will be closing their doors for good after we finish making your clothes, young lady.”
The seamstress who had come with her chimed in. She was so distraught that she was dabbing at her tears with the hem of her sleeve.
“What are you doing? You mustn’t make such an unsightly scene in front of the young lady.”
Even as Mrs. Hong tried to soothe her, the seamstress could not hold back her sorrow.
“When I think of where all those poor women will scatter to… sob!”
“That’s enough! My apologies, young lady.”
Mrs. Hong bowed her head on the seamstress’s behalf.
Just then, Hong-seol slid down from her chair and tugged on Mrs. Hong’s sleeve.
“Actually, I’ve found something to replace the irises.”
“Something to replace the irises? Do you mean you’ve found a blue dye?”
Mrs. Hong asked, bewildered.
“Yes. Please come in, Elder!”
The door burst open to reveal Namgung Muyeong, flanked by two men.
One of them held a bamboo basket, the other a bundle of papers.
Stepping inside, Namgung Muyeong wrinkled his nose.
“A little one like you, ordering an old man around…”
Hong-seol retorted at once.
“Y-You’re here on business, aren't you?”
“And she never loses an argument to an adult!”
Heheh.
He was only saying that; he wasn't truly angry. Knowing this from experience, Hong-seol let out a small smile.
“Young lady, what is all this…?”
Namgung Muyeong addressed the bewildered Mrs. Hong and the seamstress in his deep, dignified voice.
“I am Namgung Muyeong, an elder of the Namgung Clan and the operator of a small merchant group here in Hefei.”
“Who in Hefei—no, in all of Anhui Province—would not know the name of the Muyeong Merchant Group?”
Mrs. Hong and the seamstress hurriedly bowed.
“My name is Hong. I run a small drapery.”
“A pleasure. Today, I am here not as an elder of the Namgung Clan, but as the master of the Muyeong Merchant Group.”
“Pardon?”
“I wish to supply your drapery with a new dye to replace the irises.”
“I am overwhelmed. But the color of the iris is not so easily replicated…”
“First, take a look. You there!”
The man standing behind Namgung Muyeong opened the bamboo basket he was holding. From inside, he took out a porcelain bowl containing a refreshingly vibrant blue powder.
Taking the bowl, Mrs. Hong was speechless.
“This is…!”
Mrs. Hong carefully pinched the powder between her thumb and forefinger and rubbed it.
A beautiful flurry of blue dust erupted from her rounded fingertip.
Mrs. Hong half-turned and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Here, seamstress.”
Understanding her mistress’s intent, the seamstress quickly pulled a piece of cloth from her robes.
It was a piece of undyed white silk.
“Master, may we try the dye?”
“Of course. A merchant must naturally test the goods.”
The quick-witted Maeran swiftly offered a gourd bottle filled with water.
Having received permission, Mrs. Hong carefully mixed the dye with water and dipped the piece of cloth into it.
A moment later.
“Ooh!”
The onlookers gasped in admiration as they saw the silk being pulled from the dye-infused water.
The once-white piece of cloth now bore a color that, while not perfect, was remarkably similar to that of iris-dyed silk.
“Incredible!”
A gasp of wonder escaped Mrs. Hong’s lips as well.
“Will this be usable?”
“More than usable! Ah, but the cost…”
No matter how good the dye, it was useless if it was too expensive. This was especially true now, with the Myosu Trading Company selling their fabric at half price.
“Five silver nyang per geun.”
“What?”
That was only half the price they used to pay for irises.
The corners of Mrs. Hong’s mouth trembled.
Where on earth could one find such a dye at this price?
“If it were up to me, I’d charge double, but that little one over there wouldn’t allow it.”
With a look of displeasure, Namgung Muyeong raised a finger. Where he pointed, Hong-seol was smiling sweetly.
“The one who found this dye is none other than that child.”
—
Two days earlier, Hong-seol had requested a meeting with Namgung Muyeong.
No, that wasn't quite right.
She had simply sent a letter asking for help, and Namgung Muyeong had come running.
Whether it was to get on her good side early, knowing she was destined for greatness.
Or whether he had simply wanted to see her, remained a mystery.
“So, you little rascal, you’ve found a dye to replace the irises?”
“Yes. So I was hoping you could take a look, Elder.”
What Hong-seol presented to him was a small bamboo case.
“What’s this… Aack!”
Opening the case without a second thought, Namgung Muyeong was so startled he nearly fainted, flailing his hands.
In the commotion, the bamboo case went flying into the air.
“No!”
Thwip.
Leaping onto the table, Hong-seol deftly caught the bamboo case in mid-air with one hand.
It was the result of her diligent External Arts training.
Hurriedly checking inside the case, Hong-seol breathed a sigh of relief.
“Phew, that’s a relief! I didn’t lose them.”
His face pale, Namgung Muyeong pointed a trembling finger at the bamboo case.
“W-what in the world is in there?”
“Knotweed bugs.”
Knotweed bugs?
Namgung Muyeong paused at the unfamiliar name.
“Yes, you know the plant called dyer’s knotweed? It’s also called cheongdae…”
“You mean the plant used to make indigo dye?”
Hong-seol nodded vigorously.
“Yes! These are the bugs that live by eating its leaves.”
Roughly guessing what Hong-seol was thinking, Namgung Muyeong’s expression darkened.
“Dyer’s knotweed can be a good dye, but the color it produces is completely different from that of irises. Silk is a luxury item, even a slight difference in color can lead to harsh criticism.”
“But…”
“I understand you want to help the weaving guild, but dyer’s knotweed can never replace irises.”
“It’s not the knotweed, it’s the knotweed bugs.”
“What?”
“After these bugs eat the knotweed leaves, they eventually excrete a liquid from their rear ends. And that liquid is the spitting image of the iris color.”
Speechless, Namgung Muyeong peered into the bamboo case.
Inside, there were indeed droplets of a beautiful iris-colored liquid.
“Where on earth did you find this?”
“I can’t tell you that until we have a firm contract.”
Groan.
At Hong-seol’s sharp words, Namgung Muyeong let out a groan.
“Is the supply of these knotweed bugs sufficient?”
“Yes! They say they breed incredibly fast, too. There will be more than enough to supply the weaving guild, with plenty to spare.”
Seeing Hong-seol answer so readily, Namgung Muyeong spoke with a note of admiration.
“It seems your personal information network is quite useful.”
“That’s right, my information network is the best!”
Hong-seol gave a wink toward a corner hidden from Namgung Muyeong’s view.
A group of mice was huddled together there.
‘Squeaky’s family.’
They were the true identity of Hong-seol’s ‘personal information network.’
The wife of the mouse Seo Han-eol, who had been pregnant, had given birth some time ago.
Thanks to Hong-seol staying up all night to care for the baby mice, they had now become a large family of ten.
The result of those ten mice searching the area day and night was this very ‘knotweed bug.’
Of course, it was Hong-seol who had specifically told them to find the knotweed bugs.
During her days in the small, secluded room, where she had no toys.
Staring blankly out the window was one of Hong-seol’s few hobbies.
If she was lucky, she could watch two beetles fight or overhear the maids chattering.
And that was how she had happened to learn.
‘That’ story.
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