Became a God-Level M Chapter 229 : The Two Chief Stewards

Chapter 229: The Two Chief Stewards

Everyone turned their eyes to Lee Seowon when he claid that the Master of Myriad Gold Manor had either died or disappeared.

Lee Seowon calmly continued speaking in his characteristic composed tone.

“First, the trading districts that Ha Joo-myeong promised to the innkeeper. Among them, the Nanjing trading district falls under the sole authority of the Manor Master.”

Nanjing, the provincial capital of Jiangsu.

It was a massive administrative and comrcial city, second only to Beijing, often called the Shadow Capital of the Central Plains.

The headquarters of Myriad Gold Manor was located right there.

That trading district was considered sacred ground, untouchable even by the two n said to be second-in-command in the manor—the Inner Chief Steward and the Outer Chief Steward.

“There’s a chance the Manor Master gave his permission, no?”

At Jin Seong-un’s question, Lee Seowon shook his head.

Having spent his entire life at Myriad Gold Manor until joining Seong-un Inn, Lee Seowon knew better than anyone the character of the Manor Master, having the ability to grasp a person’s nature after only a short eting.

“He’s not the kind of man who would do that. Secondly, Ha Cheong-a aligning with the Demonic Cult is a grave matter—serious enough to shake the very foundations of Myriad Gold Manor. The Manor Master should have intervened directly, yet Ha Joo-myeong is handling everything on his own.”

Despite saying it was only a possibility, Lee Seowon’s tone left little room for doubt.

Everyone accepted his claim as fact, trusting him deeply.

Lee Seowon continued.

“Lastly, consider how he offered the position of Chief Steward to the innkeeper not long ago. Ha Joo-myeong was already speaking as if he would soon rise to the position of Manor Master.”

Once Lee Seowon finished his explanation, while the others were processing their thoughts, Moyong Hyeon suddenly asked,

“Let’s say the Chief Steward is right and the Manor Master really is dead or gone. What changes for us?”

“That’s an excellent question.”

When Lee Seowon praised him, Moyong Hyeon gave a satisfied smile. The two of them, after all, had similar lines of thought.

“The current Manor Master is already a giant. His re presence is one of the main pillars supporting Myriad Gold Manor. Every word he utters shifts the flow of gold in the Central Plains. But Ha Joo-myeong still has to forge that presence for himself. Their responses to the sa event will inevitably differ.”

“You’re saying he’ll act radically.”

Lee Seowon nodded at Moyong Hyeon’s summary.

“Ha Joo-myeong has always been unpredictable. You never know what he’s thinking or how he’ll act. Now add to that the pressure of establishing his presence, and he just might… start pulling off one incomprehensible move after another.”

Although he said it was hard to predict, Lee Seowon was certain that Ha Joo-myeong would indeed act far outside the bounds of reason.

Even during his ti at the manor, Lee Seowon had rarely managed to predict Ha Joo-myeong’s behavior.

For soone like Lee Seowon, who valued stability and caution, Ha Joo-myeong was nothing short of a walking catastrophe.

Lee Seowon spoke.

“Everyone, steel yourselves. I, too, must begin preparations.”

Jiangsu Province, Nanjing.

The Manor Master’s office at Myriad Gold Manor.

Ha Joo-myeong, having returned from Yichang, leaned deeply into his chair and looked at the two middle-aged n in front of him.

Yu Won-ho, Outer Chief Steward of Myriad Gold Manor, and Jang Ji-hyeon, Inner Chief Steward.

These two n had served Ha Joo-myeong’s father at his side for decades and helped build Myriad Gold Manor into what it was today.

Ha Joo-myeong spoke in a low voice.

“Well, just as expected, Jin Seong-un refused. What do you two think?”

A hint of displeasure flickered in Yu Won-ho’s eyes. As soone in charge of external affairs, he was of a rather aggressive disposition.

“That guy has been consistently arrogant. Honestly, instead of trying to bring him into the manor, I think it’d be better to eliminate him altogether.”

He had previously clashed directly with Jin Seong-un at the rchant Festival held in Jingzhou over the matter of Jo-yang Escort Agency’s master, Song Jae-mun.

As Ha Joo-myeong nodded, Jang Ji-hyeon, the Inner Chief Steward, spoke up.

“Let him be for now. Too much attention is already focused on Mu-gung. Jin Seong-un is no longer just so innkeeper. He has people in the business world, the martial world, and even governnt.”

“Won’t he grow even more if we leave him alone?”

“We are Myriad Gold Manor. What is there to be afraid of?”

Ha Joo-myeong and the Inner Chief Steward stared at each other.

With emotionless eyes, Ha Joo-myeong looked at him and said calmly,

“Isn’t it you who’s afraid, Inner Chief Steward?”

“I don’t understand what you’re implying.”

“I’m asking if you’re afraid that, should I make Jin Seong-un my man, you’ll lose your position.”

“Hah…”

The Inner Chief Steward let out a dry laugh.

Of course, having spent a lifeti navigating the treacherous business world, he had imagined the changes that might occur in Myriad Gold Manor if Jin Seong-un truly aligned himself with Ha Joo-myeong.

But at least in this mont, he was speaking from sincerity, not politics.

“You misunderstand.”

“Do I?”

Ha Joo-myeong nodded with a faint, enigmatic smile.

After a mont of silence, Ha Joo-myeong spoke to the two Chief Stewards—the most senior figures in Myriad Gold Manor—as if issuing a command.

“Freeze the funds of Hwa-un Trading Company, Red Cliff Escort Agency, and the Jingzhou rchants’ Association. It seems Jin Seong-un refused my goodwill because he doesn’t understand the value of money.”

He already knew that a steady stream of money from those three forces was flowing into Seong-un Inn.

Jin Seong-un had far too much wealth for a re innkeeper. More than half of it ca not from business, but from streams of money flowing in from factions like those.

At Ha Joo-myeong’s words, not only the Inner Chief Steward but even the radical-minded Outer Chief Steward flinched.

Jang Ji-hyeon, the Inner Chief Steward, followed up.

“Hwa-un Trading Company is especially not an easy opponent, but if we push it to the end, we’ll win. However, we’ll certainly be the subject of criticism during that process. The losses we suffer won’t be small, especially if the Imperial Court or public sentint turns against us—it could beco a situation difficult to contain.”

Ha Joo-myeong slowly nodded.

There was rit to the Inner Chief Steward’s argunt.

So, he replied.

“I’ll handle the Imperial Court. The aging emperor is bedridden, just waiting to die, and his only son, the crown prince, is too young to manage even his own affairs. The princess holds all the real power now—and she’s so infatuated with

she can’t think straight. So what’s there to fear?”

The two Chief Stewards felt an urge to wash their ears.

No matter how much one might curse the ruler behind closed doors, this was blasphemy beyond blasphemy.

But Ha Joo-myeong continued in a tone as if it wasn’t a problem at all.

“I’ll take care of the court. That leaves public sentint. I believe the Outer Chief Steward will have to move busily for a while.”

“As it is naturally my duty, I have no objections.”

Outer Chief Steward Yu Won-ho politely lowered his head.

Pleased with the response, Ha Joo-myeong now turned to the Inner Chief Steward.

“It seems you, Inner Chief Steward, have nothing to do again this ti.”

“Great Young Master, if the Manor Master were still in charge, he would not have carried things out in this manner.”

The Inner Chief Steward subtly criticized Ha Joo-myeong’s aggressive approach. To him, this move was needlessly risky and exposed them to potential backlash.

When the Manor Master was ntioned, Ha Joo-myeong’s smile deepened.

“My father, despite how he appeared, was a soft man. That’s why he failed to protect what was his, isn’t it?”

“Your words go too far.”

“It’s just the truth. Because he was soft, I’m the one sitting here now. A man needs to have a ruthless side. Look at Jin Seong-un. He had the gall to calmly kill the only daughter of Myriad Gold Manor right in front of . That kind of ruthlessness is what it takes to protect what’s yours.”

At Ha Joo-myeong’s resolute words, the Inner Chief Steward finally bowed his head. There was nothing more to say—Ha Joo-myeong had clearly made his decision.

Ha Joo-myeong looked intently at the bowed Inner Chief Steward and spoke.

“If you all so admired my father’s thods, you shouldn’t have chosen . Both of you shattered decades of trust and sided with .”

“……”

The Inner and Outer Chief Stewards remained silent.

Ha Joo-myeong was right.

When he sealed his father within a formation for eternity and seized full control of Myriad Gold Manor, the two Chief Stewards had rely stood by.

They had deed that the affairs between the blood relatives of Myriad Gold Manor were not matters for them to interfere in.

Ha Joo-myeong continued.

“Well, I don’t intend to bla either of you. As I said before, a man must be cold and heartless. If you ever judge

to have grown weak, feel free to go and side with soone else. Or, if you prefer, go and establish your own trading companies. Both of you are more than capable of creating a top-ten trading company in the Central Plains overnight.”

The two Chief Stewards had managed countless affairs over their decades at Myriad Gold Manor. In the comrcial world, their influence was second only to the Manor Master himself.

So indeed, both of them possessed more than enough ability to start a massive trading company right away.

But there was one problem.

“Of course, doing so would an opposing Myriad Gold Manor. If you’re confident, go ahead.”

The two Chief Stewards knew better than anyone the true extent of Myriad Gold Manor’s power.

That was precisely why they didn’t dare to even imagine opposing it.

Ha Joo-myeong continued.

“If you continue to bow your heads and assist

as you do now, I’ll ensure you're rewarded accordingly. We’re not bound by sentint, but by gold. You both know better than I do that money and numbers are far more reliable than the hearts of n.”

Ha Joo-myeong’s words pierced the hearts of the two Chief Stewards like daggers. Because what they had shared with the Manor Master for decades had been precisely sentint.

Now, Ha Joo-myeong mocked and pressured them for abandoning the fallen Manor Master and bowing to him instead.

There was nothing the two Chief Stewards could do.

Outer Chief Steward Yu Won-ho instead bowed even lower and said,

“Of course. Money never lies. And all the wealth of the world must pass through Myriad Gold Manor. I intend to dedicate this body to the manor until the day it wears out and dies right here.”

He spoke as if he had already erased the Manor Master from existence.

As soone who handled external matters, what happened internally was of little concern so long as Myriad Gold Manor remained strong.

Ha Joo-myeong nodded and turned to the Inner Chief Steward.

Jang Ji-hyeon, the Inner Chief Steward, simply bowed his head in silence, as if he had nothing to say.

Watching him, Ha Joo-myeong clicked his tongue.

“Well, the decision’s made. You may go now.”

Soon after, the two Chief Stewards bowed and exited the room. Their expressions, as they turned away, were clearly divided—one pleased, the other bitter.

Left alone in the office, Ha Joo-myeong tapped his finger on the desk and muttered to himself.

“I’m curious to see how you’ll look when you’re brought to ruin.”

He imagined the sight of Jin Seong-un with all his financial streams cut off. For a rchant, it was no different than having one's limbs severed.

He had so money stored up, so he might hold out for a while. But just like land in a drought, he would slowly dry up and crumble.

And when not a single drop remained, how would he react?

Would he panic, despair? Or would he rush in, beg for forgiveness, and extend his hand? Maybe he’d even draw his sword and go on a rampage.

None of those seed particularly entertaining.

“I’m sure he’ll do sothing I couldn’t have predicted. Just like always.”