Chapter 2

Joon stood at the foot of the wall, unable to take a step, his face full of trepidation. He glanced furtively into the courtyard.

How many pavilions were there, and how beautiful was the garden?

He had no idea how much money it would take to own such a grand estate.

Soon, his gaze turned to the massive plaque at the entrance of the estate.

Haryong Merchant Group (火龍商團).

One of the top five merchant groups in Anhui Province.

Their influence did not end in Anhui alone.

It extended to Jiangsu, Henan, and Shandong provinces, and they maintained close ties with almost all the local authorities within their sphere of influence, a group of formidable strategists.

The head of the Haryong Merchant Group, Shangguan Yide (上官遺德), and his four sons were all formidable strategists, with the third son, Shangguan Fei (上官飛), having achieved great success in usury.

Though it was called usury, in Hefei at least, it was known as a financial institution for the common people.

“...Why aren’t you going in?”

Johui’s face was marked with fatigue and pain.

He had traveled on foot from Fengtai County to Hefei for a whole week without rest.

Even a military march did not compare to this.

For someone who had lived in a modern world with a network of buses and subways, walking for a week was like hell.

Moreover, the shoes in this world were not as good as modern ones.

The straw shoes, which transmitted the impact directly to the soles, were so crude that it would have been more comfortable to take them off.

When he stepped on a sharp rock, the pain was so intense that it felt like it was shooting up to his scalp.

When he stepped in mud, his feet swelled, and the rough fibers of the straw shoes continued to rub against his skin, eventually causing blood and pus to seep out all over his feet.

Enduring this pain, he alternated between sleeping rough and walking, and the idea of soaking his feet in hot water became his greatest wish.

Johui vowed that once he made money, he would first buy silk shoes.

“...Really.”

Johui shook his head, apparently displeased that his father kept looking around like a country bumpkin.

What good was being a seasoned blacksmith if he was just a naive, simple man?

Soon, Johui strode forward and was about to say something to the gatekeeper.

“Guests of the third young master, please wait over there.”

The gatekeeper, with a kind face, directed them.

He had only glanced at the Joo family’s appearance, but he immediately recognized them as loan seekers.

Indeed, the gatekeeper had a keen eye.

“Thank you.”

After a brief bow, Johui looked at where the gatekeeper had gestured.

There, many potential debtors were already gathered.

At that moment, a man opened the door of the reception hall and came out.

A villager with slumped shoulders and a constant sigh, clearly having failed to secure a loan.

“Next!”

Thus, the Joo family waited under the shade of a tree in a corner of the reception hall for a long time.

Johui, while rubbing his feet, kept observing the people coming out of the reception hall.

The proportion of those who came out with bright faces, celebrating their success, did not exceed 20%.

Success in usury?

This meant something simple.

It meant that they never lost money and collected a lot of interest.

Johui had a gut feeling that the third young master of the Haryong Merchant Group was not an easy person to deal with.

“Next!”

Finally, it was the Joo family’s turn.

While Johui, with a tight-lipped expression, stood up and strode forward, Joon’s steps were not as confident.

“Father, just stay here.”

“Alright, I understand.”

Only then did his father’s face brighten.

Seeing this, Johui smiled.

For his father, entering such a grand estate and meeting the third young master of the merchant group must have been a daunting and intimidating experience.

His father, who seemed so great when hammering iron, was just a simple villager in every other aspect.

Creak.

As Johui opened the door of the reception hall, his eyes widened.

‘Lee Jung-jae!’

He looked so much like him.

The broad forehead, the charming cheekbones, the wide smile...

He was no different from the Korean actor Lee Jung-jae.

It was bewildering how someone could look so much like him.

“So, how much silver do you need?”

Unfortunately, the voice was distinctly different from Lee Jung-jae’s.

“Three hundred taels of silver.”

The man who looked like Lee Jung-jae (but was actually Shangguan Fei) frowned and then looked at the attendant with a tired expression.

“...Take them outside.”

A fifteen-year-old boy asking for three hundred taels of silver?

Three hundred taels of silver could cover a family’s living expenses for ten years.

If it were a small amount, he might have listened to their story, but given the boy’s age and shabby appearance, he did not seem capable of handling such a large sum.

However, the boy’s bold voice continued.

“In three years... you will regret not lending me this money. It will likely be the biggest mistake of your life.”

It was so absurd that it left him speechless.

“...What?”

“I am telling you the truth. By not lending me this money, you are missing out on a relationship with a blacksmith that will produce the most iron goods in Anhui and offer the lowest prices.”

Shangguan Fei, the third young master of the Haryong Merchant Group, stared at Johui for a long time, wondering if he had misjudged him.

“Are you from Jinqiu Ironworks (金丘鐵坊)? Or perhaps... Dahe Black Ironworks (大火黑鐵坊)?”

Jinqiu Ironworks and Dahe Black Ironworks were the most prestigious ironworks in Anhui.

In particular, Mo Sujue of Dahe Black Ironworks, a master blacksmith, had been personally awarded the title of “First Master of the World” by the emperor, and his reputation shook the world.

The weapons he produced were worth their weight in gold.

“I am Johui, the second son of the Jia Ironworks in Fengtai County. I am here representing the Jia Ironworks.”

The third son of the Haryong Merchant Group was not a position to be taken lightly.

There was no place in Anhui that he had not inspected.

But what? Jia Ironworks in Fengtai County?

A place that had never been mentioned in the merchant group’s extensive information network. It must be a very ordinary ironworks.

“Are you joking with me? Does the name Haryong Merchant Group seem so easy to you?”

Johui sighed and then spoke.

“How could I not know the reputation of our family? I never even dared to ask for a credit loan.”

“Then...?”

Johui took out the book again.

“I will offer all the iron tools with market value as collateral. Three hundred catties of steel anvils for fifty taels, two large forging hammers, four small forging hammers, six iron molds for casting, three steel grinding frames, the total market value is at least forty taels.”

Johui turned to the next page.

“The land of the ironworks, two hundred and twenty pings, for forty taels, three thousand catties of oak, two thousand catties of bamboo, four hundred catties of charcoal, three thousand catties of bark... if all these are sold, they would fetch ten taels of silver. In total, one hundred and fifty taels of silver. That’s all the collateral I can provide in kind.”

Shangguan Fei’s face, now curious, changed.

“What about the remaining one hundred and fifty taels of collateral?”

Suddenly, Johui’s face turned grim, and he clenched his teeth.

“The life of my father in his late thirties, my mother in her mid-thirties, my older brother in his early twenties, and myself... in total, four lives as collateral.”

Johui could not include his younger sister, Jia Yan.

“Lives?”

“The market price for human trafficking in black markets is hard to determine. However, based on the price of government slaves, one hundred and fifty taels of silver is more than enough.”

“...”

When people came here, they usually fell to their knees and begged, “Please save me, I will give my life!” or “My daughter is dying because we have no means to live! I will pay back the loan after the harvest!”

Their desperation was simple and straightforward.

But this was not the case with this boy.

To imagine that someone would coldly calculate and offer everything their family owned as collateral was unprecedented.

When he mentioned the actual transaction price of government slaves, it was almost laughable.

Shangguan Fei’s face became strange.

His curiosity had turned into genuine interest.

“That’s impressive. However, all the collateral you mentioned will incur processing costs. I need to send someone to verify if the items you mentioned actually exist and re-evaluate their market value. Additionally, if you default, processing the collateral will waste time and manpower. Especially the issue of government slaves...”

“Hence, I am giving you this opportunity. An opportunity to do business with me.”

“Business? Opportunity?”

Wasn’t it already a favor for a large merchant group like the Haryong Merchant Group to do business with a small ironworks?

“Has the relationship between us changed? What reason do you have to believe that doing business with your ironworks will be an ‘opportunity’ for the Haryong Merchant Group?”

Johui handed over the book.

“I will supply all the items listed here at seventy percent of the market price to the Haryong Merchant Group.”

Shangguan Fei’s eyes widened as he examined the book.

“Large iron files from Masong for only twenty-eight taels?”

The market price for large iron files from Masong was at least forty taels.

“Can you really supply them at this price?”

Johui nodded confidently.

“I will write the contract immediately.”

Shangguan Fei’s eyes became deeper.

The more he saw and interacted with Johui, the more intriguing he found him.

Then, Johui’s voice continued.

“If you truly decide to give up on this deal, I plan to offer the same proposal to the Yubai Merchant Group.”

“...What?”

Yubai Merchant Group (乳白商團).

A merchant group in fierce