Chapter 32
A New Venture
“Kim Hong-do’s Afternoon at the Ferry isn’t in the Gwangtong Bridge art shop—it belongs to the Grand Prince of this Joseon kingdom.”
Lee Un opened his large, somber lips and answered.
“The Grand Prince? Which son are you talking about?”
Miyu asked innocently.
“You don’t know?”
“I told you before, I’m not interested in the royal family.”
The men chuckled at Miyu’s confident attitude.
Byun Ha-yeon explained:
“The Grand Prince is the only legitimate son born of the first queen, Prince Hye-an. Only a legitimate child of the queen can ascend as crown prince or become a grand prince; illegitimate children stop at being princes.”
‘So the Grand Prince is a legitimate son who hasn’t been made crown prince?’ Miyu thought.
“Does that Grand Prince have many good paintings?”
Her eyes sparkled as she asked Lee Un.
“Yes.”
Lee Un quickly added:
“I know this because it’s well-known among painters.”
“Who said that?”
“I mentioned it in case you were curious.”
“Are the paintings he owns by Kim Hong-do, Shin Yun-bok, Jeong Seon, Kim Deuk-shin, and so on?”
“Probably.”
Lee Un was curious about what Miyu was thinking.
“He’s an enemy,” Miyu stated matter-of-factly.
“Are you declaring the Grand Prince an enemy right off the bat?”
Hwang Hee was taken aback.
“He has many fine paintings I want to collect. That makes him an enemy to be defeated.”
Miyu extended her hand in front of her face, clenching it into a fist.
“Even so… to speak of the Grand Prince of this country like that…”
Hwang Hee was speechless.
“There’s no need to actually defeat him, right?”
Lee Un looked at his cup with a wry smile.
“What nonsense. You can’t be half-hearted. Even if it’s not about defeating him outright and taking his paintings, at least whatever I’ve set my eyes on must not be taken from me. That kind of resolve is what makes a man wealthy.”
A twitch of a suppressed smile crossed Lee Un’s lips.
“It would be wise to reveal what you’ve set your eyes on in advance.”
“How do you tell the Grand Prince? Is there a way?”
Miyu stared piercingly at Lee Un.
“I thought perhaps by sending a wall scroll.”
“Be consistent. Sometimes you seem clever and deep, and other times just like a fool from the neighborhood…”
“A f-fool?”
Lee Un looked at Miyu in mock resentment.
Fool? He had never heard that in his life. Who could dare say that to a royal child? Yet rather than being offended, it strangely felt relieving.
“You mentioned being distant relatives of the royal family, right? Will there be any chance to meet this Grand Prince? At a feast or something?”
“Too far… not enough to be invited to a feast. But why do you ask?”
Lee Un asked curiously.
“I want him to sell me some of his paintings.”
“Do you have money?”
“I’ll earn it from now on.”
Miyu said confidently.
Lee Un chuckled. What a peculiar woman. Even a man couldn’t carry herself with such confidence. He drained another cup of liquor.
“You’ve had quite a bit today,” Hwang Hee said to Lee Un.
“Perhaps,” he replied.
“It’s fine. Even days like this happen.”
Byun Ha-yeon handed Lee Un a mixed shot of soju and beer.
At that moment, Miyu snatched the cup.
“Painter, enough now! You’re too drunk. I’ll drink it.”
“It’s fine,” Lee Un’s hand reached toward the cup Miyu held.
“If your hand shakes, you can’t paint.”
“It’s fine, let go.”
Lee Un’s large, warm hand covered Miyu’s small hand.
Their eyes met, and both flinched as if burned, releasing instantly. The empty cup clattered onto the table.
“Something must have happened at Gwangtong Bridge.”
Byun Ha-yeon tried to sound casual as he mixed his drink again.
“Which business should I start?”
Miyu, munching on the sweet rice taffy bought from a candy vendor, lazily wandered around Songpa Market.
There were many cotton shops. Songpa was famous not only for the small markets but also for cotton cloth brought up from the south.
“High-quality cotton from Jeonju. Pearls from Jinju, stronger fabric from Gangjin. Top-grade cotton brought directly from the source.”
She stopped at an herbal medicine stall.
Suddenly, she remembered Boksil saying that medicinal herbs were so expensive ordinary people couldn’t even afford them.
Cinnamon, angelica, cornelian cherry, Ophiopogon, schisandra, and cnidium—piles of medicinal herbs were stacked from the shop into the street.
Of course, Miyu could only recognize a few, like ginger.
She hesitated between elderly men in hats and middle-class men behind the counter.
“What does the young lady want?” asked the stout owner with crooked teeth.
“I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
Miyu explained her reason for looking at herbs: she couldn’t sleep deeply.
Being in an unfamiliar world with no family or friends made sleep restless and her days even more foolish.
She suffered from insomnia daily, but there was no one to confide in, and she didn’t know where to seek help.
Hospitals or modern pharmacies would be great, but of course, none existed.
Boksil had said there were pharmacies in Joseon, but they were expensive and could easily rip someone off.
Miyu thought perhaps some herbs might help.
“Hmm, can’t sleep?”
The crooked-tooth owner sniffed.
“Yes. Do you have herbs good for that?”
“Of course. For insomnia, wild jujube seeds (sanzoin) are best.”
The elderly men observing from the side nodded in agreement.
“Sanzoin is the best for calming the body and mind.”
“Roast sanzoin, boil it, and sleep will come easily.”
Miyu immediately opened her pouch.
“Then give me just 5 pun (2,500 won), no, 1 jeon (5,000 won) worth.”
The owner snorted.
“You have to buy at least 1 nyang (50,000 won). I don’t deal in small change.”
Miyu was stunned.
“Small change isn’t money?”
The owner, unimpressed by her apparent lack of funds, waved her away.
“Just go. Selling so little doesn’t make a profit.”
“Unbelievable. How does he see customers?”
Miyu bit her lower lip.
“Even if someone’s close to you, no means no. I don’t sell 1 jeon worth.”
“Why not?”
Miyu pressed.
“I said it doesn’t make a profit. Here the clients are government offices, pharmacies, retailers, or wealthy families. Selling to individuals requires at least 1 nyang. If you need small amounts, go to the alley with the fish shops; there’s a pharmacy there.”
The owner said begrudgingly. It was like trying to buy a single drink from a bulk warehouse.
“Isn’t that the assistant at the vegetable stall?”
Choi Kang-ja pointed toward Miyu, who was gazing thoughtfully at the flowing Songpa River.
Her slender, elegant back seemed lost in thought.
“It’s not certain yet, so calling her an assistant isn’t correct.”
Lee Un replied with a small smile.
“The Grand Prince’s assistant…?”
“Why does an assistant walk around so confidently?”
Lee Un swiftly approached Miyu.
At that moment, Miyu was mentally entering a virtual office, retrieving two marketing strategies from her imaginary drawers.
“Still haven’t chosen a product?”
“No.”
Miyu glanced at Lee Un with a light smile and noticed Choi Kang-ja standing tall behind him.
“So there’s also a painting student. Though martial arts suits him better than art.”
“Nice to meet you, assistant—or rather, young lady.”
Choi Kang-ja smiled, his chubby cheeks making his lips narrow like a fish’s. His right hand lightly held the hilt of a sword disguised as a bamboo staff, ready in case Miyu acted impulsively toward Lee Un.
“Why so tense? Did your wife scold you this morning?”
Miyu tilted her head slightly at Choi Kang-ja.
“M-wife?!”
Choi Kang-ja was incredulous.
“I’m single.”
“Really?” Miyu looked at Lee Un.
“That’s what I’ve been told,” he nodded toward the river.
A fish splashed from the surface.
“I’m only two years older than my master.”
Choi Kang-ja protested loudly.
“Lies. Must be twelve.”
“Two years. Just two years. I look older because of my size and fierceness, but I’m still a young man.”
“Do you have a fiancée? Or someone you’re seeing?”
“No.”
“I’m not in that situation.”
Lee Un spoke softly, shaking his head.
“Master, we marry, have children, and carry on the family line.”
Even eunuchs could marry and adopt children under three to continue their line, though male hormones faded over time.
“You like men, huh? It’s fine—love knows no borders.”
“No, it’s not!”
Choi Kang-ja shouted in a high voice.
“Listen to that octave—he’s totally feminine.”
“So, which product did you choose?”
Lee Un interjected before Miyu could provoke Choi Kang-ja further.
“I needed someone to ask anyway. These people here can’t afford medicine even if they’re sick—is that true?”
“G-Grand Prince… uh, Master. That young lady says these are the people here. That doesn’t mean she’s one of them.”
“Don’t fuss,” Lee Un signaled Choi Kang-ja and looked back at Miyu.
“Of course. Most people cannot afford treatment or prescriptions, nor can they buy the necessary herbs at pharmacies. Even scholars pool resources to acquire expensive or hard-to-get herbs.”
Typically, a doctor would prescribe herbs, and patients either made the decoctions themselves or bought pre-made medicine from pharmacies. Ordinary people couldn’t afford it.
Visiting shamans was easier and cheaper.
“A prescription like Samyonggo costs 700 nyang because each herb is expensive. That’s the price of two small noble houses.”
“Even if not the most expensive, it would be good if common medicines for frequent illnesses, like indigestion or smallpox or stomachaches, were easier to obtain.”
“Of course. All the people would welcome that.”
Lee Un’s gaze softened at Miyu’s earnest concern.
“Is there a way? Each herb is so costly. Wholesalers sell to pharmacies in bulk, and pharmacies sell at several times the markup…”
Choi Kang-ja, who had been listening quietly, muttered.
“That’s why I plan to make it. That method.”
Miyu nodded quietly, her face full of sincerity.
