Chapter 281
Side Story, Chapter 9. Qihong Tea
Perhaps because the season had changed, the air was chilly.
Yet when a warm, ill-fitting breeze flowed in through the window, So-hwa lifted the small teapot placed on the table.
Chororok.
The dark crimson tea leaves soaked into the hot water.
Just as a rich aroma rose, the empty chair gained its owner.
Haerak, who had not changed clothes, looked blankly at the two cups on the table and asked,
"Did you know I was coming, or was someone else supposed to come?"
"I knew you would come."
At the calm reply, one of Haerak's eyebrows rose.
"I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react. Are you saying you know me well, or are you indirectly calling me rude?"
Without answering, So-hwa opened the box on the table.
Inside, papers that looked like message scrolls were neatly stacked.
"These are message scrolls the Four Seasons Hall Lord has been sending since yesterday. He requested a private meeting every hour."
"That man really does pester people exactly as he looks."
So-hwa curved her lips faintly.
"It seems the Four Seasons Hall Lord has never found it particularly difficult to meet someone when he asked. Rising to a high position at a young age under the Alliance Leader's favor, it makes sense. Seeing how he kept sending scrolls even when I ignored them, he must believe that whenever he asks, he'll be able to meet me."
She brushed the warm teacup and continued.
"Namgung Jin, seeing that I ignored the scrolls, waited recklessly along my path without caring who might see. It seems he doesn't care how he appears to others. Perhaps all he's ever heard is praise for being great and virtuous, no matter what he does."
Haerak tilted his mouth crookedly.
"So you're saying you expected me to come without sending a scroll, sneaking in so as not to catch others' eyes?"
So-hwa nodded.
"You've lived a life where your requests were not treated as particularly weighty, and you know that the gazes directed at your actions are not gentle. So I thought you would come quietly."
"Look at that. It wasn't meant kindly, was it?"
As the strength drained from Haerak's voice, So-hwa let out a small laugh.
"Why? I understand that you've lived a difficult life, and feeling sorry for that, I even prepared tea."
She lifted her cup first and brought it to her lips.
“Try drinking it. It’s a tea that is hard to obtain.”
Haerak looked at So-hwa with narrowed eyes, then lifted the warm cup. After taking a sip, surprise spread through his eyes.
"The aroma is unusual."
"It's tea leaves from Qimen. Because the color is red, it's called Qihong tea, but it's not famous yet, so it's hard to get."
"Do people of Anhui have a habit of hiding precious things? How could such an outstanding tea not be famous?"
So-hwa curved her lips.
Qimen's red tea would only become known outside after a very long time. Even then, it would be shared only by word of mouth, making it difficult to obtain.
Of course, for the Anguk Merchant Group Young Head, it was easy enough to acquire.
He had procured the Qihong tea in half a day, and after confirming the Anguk Merchant Group's capabilities, So-hwa had begun her plan.
‘Looking at it now, it seems he just carried it around because it suited his taste.’
Seemingly pleased, Haerak kept the Qihong tea in his mouth, savoring its aroma. The irritation mixed in his eyes slowly melted away.
While the tea cooled to a suitable temperature, their conversation continued.
"By the way, why did the Four Seasons Hall Lord want to meet you?"
"He told me not to touch Hamgu. The man knows a lot, and he seemed worried that I might kill him or let him escape."
Haerak shook his head slightly.
"He really wastes his strength on pointless things. It seems he rushed over knowing your disposition, but then he should have anticipated that you'd already taken action. Seeing you ignore the scrolls, he should have realized it was already too late."
As always, useless words were exchanged.
At first, So-hwa hadn't known how to respond to Haerak's meaningless remarks, being led around or abruptly cutting conversations off with unexpected replies.
But perhaps she had grown accustomed to it; now she could actually converse with him.
"That seems to be the Hall Lord's nature. He values procedures to the point of ignorance and follows them, so it's stifling."
"Ah, so that's why you keep refusing his request to come to the Four Seasons Hall."
So-hwa let out a dry laugh.
"Isn't his intention in recommending induction obvious? He's trying to control me beforehand because he's worried about what I might do."
"Again, he's doing something pointless. By now, he should know you're no longer someone who can be controlled. For someone who holds that much information to act so stuffy—tsk, tsk."
At Haerak's words, So-hwa nodded.
"Unlike them, you don't follow procedures. That's why I find you comfortable."
Recalling something, Haerak snorted softly.
"True enough, from the start, you ignored the so-called orthodox sects and took my hand. Back then, you probably didn't even know how much of a mess the Blood Sect's structure was, yet your judgment was impressive."
So-hwa, setting down her cup, exclaimed as if she had just remembered something.
"Ah, Hamgu entered the inner courtyard recently. Outsiders have a hard time getting into the inner courtyard, yet both you and that man managed it. Are methods of infiltration within the Blood Sect being shared or something?"
"You're only asking now? I thought you'd question me the very first day I came here."
"If I'd asked then, you wouldn't have told me."
"And do you think I'd tell you now?"
Instead of answering, So-hwa fell silent for a moment. Then she spoke abruptly.
"A few days ago, an outsider came in and drank tea in that very seat where you're sitting now."
She added calmly,
"I don't want to have conversations in my quarters with Blood Sect members other than you. I intend to block that path, so tell me."
Perhaps caught off guard, Haerak closed his mouth.
After a brief silence, he replied in a low voice.
"...... There's a weak point in the inner courtyard's defenses. I'll show you later, so let's go together."
"Alright."
"How was the Great Desert?"
"Min Doyu made a fuss over nothing again. Nothing happened."
Haerak answered casually, but So-hwa didn't believe him.
"When the death of the Blood Demon becomes more widely known, many factions will rush in, thinking the Solar Palace is land without an owner. The Solar Palace will need you even more than it does now."
"Do you think the Outer Regions' Five Palaces fell because the Five Palace Lords were weak?"
Haerak sneered, then asked back,
"But if I were to go live in the Solar Palace, what would you do?"
When So-hwa looked at him, Haerak lowered his gaze.
"If I settle in the Great Desert, I might not be able to cross over as freely as I do now. There's no guarantee I'll keep dealing only with weaklings, and if someone smart starts stirring up the Great Desert, I might be tied down for quite a long time."
Until now, Haerak had tried to avoid the topic whenever the Great Desert came up, but today was different. It seemed he had nearly made up his mind.
Still, as if some hesitation remained, he added cautiously,
"Well, it just means I might be away for a while. Not that I'm going forever."
So-hwa did not answer immediately.
The other party had pondered for a long time before speaking.
She did not want to end the conversation by letting him retreat out of fear.
So-hwa spoke somewhat bluntly.
"I don't think the only reason you can't leave the Central Plains right now is because of me."
With dissatisfaction on his face, Haerak asked,
"Then what do you think it is?"
"Don't you have wealth gathered through the Anguk Merchant Group? Moving all of that to the Great Desert at once would be unreasonable. And the relationships the Anguk Merchant Group has cultivated over a long time can't be cut off immediately either, so wouldn't it take time?"
"Do you really think that's why I'm staying here?"
"At the very least, that's why I support you not going to the Great Desert right away."
So-hwa stated her thoughts in a calm tone.
"Didn't you covet imperial palace trade and pull all your connections into the Anguk Merchant Group? I don't know if you knew this going in, but in the Central Plains, you can't form and sever ties with the imperial palace lightly. At minimum, you need to transfer all those connections to the Myungcheon Merchant Group or elsewhere and make the imperial palace abandon you of its own accord. Only then will there be no aftermath."
"How did you know I was preparing imperial palace trade as well?"
Instead of answering, So-hwa brushed the ring on her finger.
Lowering her gaze to her hand as if thinking, she spoke again after a long while.
"After Hak's wedding, the Clan Head will gradually delegate authority to the Young Lord. With Zhuge Cheon-yu by his side, there will be no need to worry about Hak's dull disposition. So I think things will settle within at least ten years. In the meantime, I'll fill everything needed for the Nine Turns Pavilion's new pavilion, and with Tang Hae-han there, management should be fine."
"So then you plan to go to the Great Desert?"
So-hwa nodded.
Haerak moved his lips, then rubbed the back of his neck.
“……It’s unexpected.”
"What is?"
"I thought you wanted to be buried in the Tang Clan. So I was thinking of coming over as a live-in son-in-law."
"The Tang Clan will be fine without me, but the Solar Palace of this generation cannot be without you. Still, a little more time is needed."
"No, time isn't the important part. You're saying you'll cross over."
"With the Blood Sect and Great Desert sects attacking the Solar Palace day after day, how long can I pretend not to know?"
"That's not something you need to worry about. Don't dwell on it."
"It is something I need to worry about."
"It's the Solar Palace's matter."
“Since the matter of the Solar Palace is your matter, it is also my matter.”
"My matter is your matter?"
Resting his chin on his hand, Haerak tilted his head.
"As far as I know, you stake your life on your own affairs. Are you thinking of staking your life for me now, too?"
So-hwa quietly nodded.
"...... Why are you answering so readily."
As the conversation threatened to drift again, So-hwa let out a small sigh.
"I don't know how you've seen me."
Her gaze slowly lifted.
"I am not someone who thinks about a future with a person not worth staking my life on."
"......."
Haerak stared at So-hwa, his mouth closed.
It was because he wanted to give some kind of answer, but his mouth wouldn't open. A strange, indescribable emotion burrowed into his chest.
So-hwa vaguely sensed that he was deep in thought, and she did not interfere.
The sound of insects quietly blanketed the silence.
A cozy noise, like a child whispering, continued for a long time.