Book 19 Chapter 5

Tailgating (尾行)

―Caught Red-Handed!

Among the many establishments overflowing with common sense in Namchang's entertainment industry, 'Cheonghongru' was known as one of the "Three Great Giharu of Namchang." It was a place that considered it a basic, not a boast, that customers had never stopped visiting since its opening. Furthermore, it was located only about three buildings away from the Namchang branch of Jungwon Express, and the Jungwon Express always frequented this place whenever they had to entertain guests. And those guests always received the best treatment and service.

In fact, it was an open secret that the Jungwon Express was backing Cheonghongru. While appearing as unrelated parties, Cheonghongru was, in reality, a semi-hidden branch of Jungwon. It was easy to infer this from the fact that almost sixty percent of Cheonghongru's annual revenue flowed into the Jungwon Express. However, directly operating a giharu could easily cast a bad impression on the public, so they only pretended not to be involved.

"One… Two… Three… Four… And Five!"

Thinking the number was ridiculously small, Ishigeon scoffed inwardly. He felt unpleasant, as if his worth had been undervalued. After finishing his diplomatic meeting with the Maga, he had declined the accommodation proposed by Cheonmu Academy and headed straight for Cheonghongru.

A total of five tailgaters!

Normally, the every move of an envoy was closely monitored by secret intelligence agencies—spy agencies. This was to extract new information from their every minor action. It was the industry standard that it was more efficient to observe actions and infer causes rather than ask directly, as it was unlikely to get honest answers, and even if an answer was given, it was often intentionally distorted. If done well, they might even uncover the informant the envoy was contacting—this was a big catch—so personal surveillance was absolutely essential.

Ishigeon was very conspicuous. Everyone cast sidelong glances at this incredibly flamboyant young man. He was such a handsome and dashing man that he attracted all the attention of the courtesans. With a face like that, one could overlook the five rings on his ears that looked painful. Because of this, tracking and surveillance were easy. However, these watchers underestimated the abilities of this flamboyant young man.

'Only five! They should have deployed twice that number!'

If they thought they could evade his attention with such a small number, it was a huge miscalculation. Mocking the watchers inwardly, he leisurely walked into Cheonghongru.

"Welcome, young master!"

A server ran up to greet him. This was quite different from the usual scene where older retired courtesans or the proprietress would come out at a giharu. This was because this place was a restaurant, a bar, a teahouse, and a giharu all in one. Behind this was a sophisticated commercial arrangement to lure people who were dining, drinking, or having tea into the pleasure quarters. In fact, they paid more attention to creating an atmosphere that didn't seem like a giharu establishment. This was a meticulous consideration to allow customers to frequent the place without worrying about being noticed.

"Fetch the manager!"

*Ting!*

A silver tael fell from the heavens into the server's hand. Statistics showed that the more money placed in a server's hand, the deeper their bow and the faster their footsteps. It was a fascinating fact that a coin weighing less than one tael could exert a pressure nearly a thousand times its weight.

"Th-thank you, young master!"

After bowing so deeply that he worried his head might touch the ground, the server vanished before him like the wind. A moment later, the head manager appeared in a hurry. It seemed the server had embellished the report, as the manager's footsteps were also quick.

The manager's eyes scanned the dining table faster than lightning.

Next to the teacup lay a thin, round piece of metal with a square hole in the center of a circle. The manager, who was convinced that his calling was to extract more of these from the customers' pockets, knew very well that it was a very useful item that could be exchanged for tea or food.

"How may I help you, young master?" the manager asked in a polite tone.

"I have come to borrow the strength to go to heaven [天去力]," Ishigeon said, gracefully lifting his teacup. The manager's expression changed slightly. His gaze flickered again to the coin placed next to the teacup.

"What kind of flower is the most beautiful in heaven?" the manager asked.

"The flower that blooms in the snow [雪花] is the most beautiful," Ishigeon replied without hesitation.

"In which field [原] of heaven does that flower bloom?" the head manager asked again.

"It does not bloom in any field, east, west, north, or south [東西南北]."

Then, the only place left was the center [中].

The head manager bowed and said politely, "Please follow me."

Ishigeon put down his teacup and quietly stood up.

"This way."

The manager led him to a separate annex. This was a dream paradise accessible only to an extremely select few among the guests, a place that ordinary people could not even set foot in.

Ishigeon walked across the colorful paving stones laid in the garden and looked around. It was still early, so there were no guests or courtesans in sight.

The rear garden clearly showed signs of having been decorated at great expense. The entire walkway of the rear garden was paved with pure white marble brought from Daeryeok, and each pillar was elaborately decorated with brass and gold. The highlight was the pond made of strange rocks in the center of the rear garden and the stream that ran across the entire garden. Lotuses and unknown orchids grew in the pond, and the perimeter of the lake was lined with Taihu stones (太湖石) with unique, porous shapes.

"What a magnificent garden!" Ishigeon exclaimed honestly.

"Everywhere shows signs of meticulous care, and only the finest materials were used."

"Thank you. You truly have an eye for it. You won't find a more splendid and beautiful garden anywhere else in Namchang. It is our pride to always offer the best to our customers."

The manager replied with a voice full of pride.

This premium strategy was the actual driving force behind Cheonghongru becoming one of the Three Great Giharu of Namchang. There were always people who did not skimp on money for the best. To achieve this, one should not hesitate to invest in becoming the best.

"Look at the Taihu stones decorating the artificial lake. Are they not truly beautiful?"

Taihu stones, as the name suggests, refer to unique, wrinkled, and porous strange rocks found only in Taihu.

"A Taihu stone is considered truly good if it possesses the four virtues of 'chuu, tu, nu, su.' 'Chuu' refers to moderate wrinkling, 'tu' to moderate holes, 'nu' to moderate gaps, and 'su' to moderate thinness. Only when these four 'moderates' are present is it recognized as a top-grade product. The Taihu stones in this garden were all carefully selected as special products and transported from Taihu by human labor."

"It must have cost a lot."

"Of course, of course. Taihu stones are only found in Taihu, so if one wants to decorate a garden with them outside of Taihu, they naturally have to be transported from Taihu. However, are these stones a bit heavy? Especially the Taihu stones used for garden landscaping, their weight is beyond imagination. The cost incurred to place these heavy stones in the garden of Namchang, far from Taihu, is almost astronomical."

This meant they were dizzyingly expensive.

"That must be true."

With each step taken along the white corridor surrounding the rear garden, the rear garden presented a completely new landscape to delight the eyes of the walker. As Ishigeon savored all the scenery in the rear garden, the manager's footsteps stopped.

"This is the room."

Curiously, a large lock was attached.

"Ah, this? This is a special space exclusively for special customers, so it is always securely locked with this padlock. It's to prevent impressionable youths from making any unintentional mistakes."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"You will be satisfied."

The key turned, and the lock opened. Ishigeon entered the special room. The name of that room was 'Seolhwa.'

And someone was secretly watching his retreating back, and that person's name was…

"What are you doing here, old man? Are you being chased for an unpaid bill? Or do you have a courtesan you're infatuated with?"

"Goodness, you startled me!"

Jang Hong jumped down from the wall he was leaning on, startled.

"Where did you pop out from?"

"Pop out? I've been behind you for a while."

Bilyuyeon replied in a casual tone.

"Make some noise when you move."

"I don't think that's something you should say."

"Hmm, that's true."

In fact, that was a violation of his professional ethics. But how could he… However, Jang Hong's confusion was cut short by Bilyuyeon's barrage of questions.

"What were you doing?"

"No, just…"

"You don't look like you're hiding from debt collectors… Did you fall for a courtesan? I guess night outings are your hobby."

Jang Hong couldn't help but be flustered by the words that kept coming out, making it impossible to just let them pass.

"Hey, don't say things that could be misunderstood if someone heard them."

"No, why? Is there someone who shouldn't hear?"

"No, that's not it, but…"

"Then there's nothing to be ashamed of, right?"

"That's true, but… By the way, why are you here?"

"Ah, I was invited."

"Huh? Someone invited you?"

"What do you mean? Anyone with discerning eyes will recognize me."

"Who invited you?"

Jang Hong couldn't help but be surprised by Bilyuyeon's answer.

"What? Don't lie!"

"Honestly! What benefit do I get from lying?"

"Hmm, none."

Unfortunately, there was none.

"None?"

"Right. But I can't believe it. That the one who invited you here would be Geomhu, that person…"

"Believe it. Believe it. It's said that those who believe are blessed. Why can't I understand why Geomhu shouldn't invite me here? Isn't she the notary public for me and Yerim?"

"I doubt if Venerable Geomhu did it sincerely…"

"Then you're saying she makes empty promises in her position?"

"No, it's not that, but…"

"Don't you realize your words have been inconsistent since a while ago?"

"I admit it."

Jang Hong raised both hands and surrendered readily.

"But why Cheonghongru of all places?"

"Why? Is it wrong to come here?"

"No, it's not wrong, but… I suppose Miss So is not coming here, is she?"

"Why wouldn't she come? Of course, she will."

"The men who frequent this place will be beside themselves. Have you already forgotten what happened a few days ago?"

"Tell them to use airborne walking. Otherwise, they might have to cross a river of saliva with every step they take."

"That seems like the wisest advice you've given recently."

"How can you say such a hurtful thing? My advice is always wise."

"Tch, I missed it."

"What, are you changing the subject?"

"No, I'm lamenting. I'll probably hear that I can't earn my keep with this again. Can't I be included in the evening invitation?"

"Do you think that's possible?"

"No, I'm not making such a hasty hope," Jang Hong replied, shrugging his shoulders.