owns that tiny straw hut?’ Pyŏn asked.
‘It belongs to Master Hŏ,’ she answered. ‘The master was always content to study; he lived a life of poverty. Then one day he walked out the wicker gate and he hasn’t been back in five years. His wife lives alone now. She observes the day he left as a day of ritual offering.’
Pyŏn knew now that the man’s name was Hŏ. He sighed and turned back.
Next day, Pyŏn gathered up the money and went to Hŏsaeng’s house to return it, but Hŏsaeng would not accept it.
‘If I wanted to be rich, would I throw away 1,000,000 nyang and take 100,000? But if you insist on supporting me, that’s fine. Come and see me from time to time. Make sure our grain bin isn’t empty; see to it that we have clothes to wear. I’ll be content with that. I don’t want the burden of material possessions.
Pyŏn tried everything to get Hŏsaeng to change his mind, but it was no use. From then on, when grain or clothes were needed, Pyŏn came in person and helped out. Hŏsaeng accepted his help gladly unless he brought too much, in which case he would frown and say, ‘Are you trying to ruin me?’ But if Pyŏn brought a jar of wine, Hŏsaeng was always very pleased. They would drink until they were drunk.
In the course of a few years, a strong bond of fine feeling grew between the two men. One day Pyŏn quietly asked Hŏsaeng how he had managed to make 1,000,000 nyang in five years. Hŏsaeng told him.
‘It’s easy,’ he said. ‘Chosŏn boats don’t ply the seas; Chosŏn carts don’t travel the roads. Commodities in this country begin and end their lives in the same place. 1,000 nyang is not a lot of money; it’s not enough to get a monopoly on any item. But break it into ten 100 nyang units and you can now buy ten items. Small items are easily handled. Lose on one and make on the other nine. That’s the normal principle of profit; that’s what hucksters do. With 10,000 nyang, however, you can easily have a monopoly on one item. The principle is to get a corner on the market. Fill carts, load boats. If it’s a village, buy the whole village. Catch everything in one tight net. Of the ten thousand species of fish in the sea, get a monopoly on one. Of the ten thousand medicinal herbs and plants used by physicians, get a monopoly on one. When a commodity is concentrated in the hands of one man, the hucksters soon run out of supplies. This, of course, is bad for the people. If the authorities ever made use of my methods, it would be disastrous for the country.’
‘How did you know I’d give you the money?’
‘Anyone with 10,000 nyang would have lent me the money; you weren’t my only hope. I believed in my ability to make 1,000,000. Fate, of course, is in the hands of Heaven, so I had no way of knowing whether you would give me the money or not. But the man who listened to me was fated to be a lucky man because Heaven, not me, was in control of whether he got richer. So why not lend me the money? When money is lent, the money takes over: it creates its own success. Were it up to me personally, who knows whether I would have succeeded or failed?
Pyŏn changed the subject. ‘These days,’ he said, ‘The scholar-officials are intent on wiping out the disgrace they suffered in Namhansan Fortress at the hands of the barbarians. Isn’t it time for high-minded scholars to stand up and be counted? A man of your talent, why bury yourself here?’
‘A-ha! Men have buried themselves throughout history. What about Cho Songgi? He proved himself an excellent envoy when he was sent to the enemy, but he died an old pauper. And what about the hermit Yu Hyŏngwŏn? He could have procured the provisions for the army, but he spent his time idling by the rugged sea. Those in authority will know all about these cases. I’m a man who knows how to buy and sell. The money I made was enough to buy the heads of nine kings, but I threw it into the sea and came home because there was nowhere to use it in this country.’
Pyŏn sighed and went away.
Pyŏn had been on friendly terms for some time with Yi Wan, a minister of state. Yi Wan was a special adviser to the king and he wondered if Pyŏn knew any man of talent who might serve the king. Pyŏn told him Hŏsaeng’s story.
‘Amazing,’ the minister exclaimed. ‘Can it be true? What did you say his name was?’
‘I’ve been acquainted with the man for three years, Minister, but I still don’t know his given name.’
‘He’s obviously an extraordinary man. Let’s go to see him.’
That night Minister Yi sent his soldiers away and set out on foot with Pyŏn for Hŏsaeng’s house. Pyŏn told the minister to wait at the gate and went in alone to tell Hŏsaeng the background of the minister’s visit. Hŏsaeng acted as if he hadn’t heard. ‘Let’s have the wine you brought,’ he said and they proceeded to enjoy the wine. Pyŏn kept mentioning the minister’s mission. He was embarrassed because Hŏsaeng kept the minister waiting outside. For a long time Hŏsaeng made no response, but eventually, late into the night, he allowed the minister to come in. However, he didn’t get up to greet him. The minister was a bit nonplussed at first. He began to explain why he had come. He said he was looking for capable people in the government. Hŏsaeng cut him off with a wave of the hand.
‘The night is short,’ Hŏsaeng said. ‘Too much talk. It’s boring. What did you say your official post was?’
‘I’m a minister of state.’
‘Well then, you have the trust of the country. I recommend Waryong, Reclining Dragon, a man comparable in brilliance to Chuko Liang. Can you get the king to visit him three times in his straw hut and issue a formal invitation to service?’
Minister Yi bowed his head in thought for some time.
‘That would be difficult,’ he said. ‘Can I hear a second proposal?’
‘The word second is not in my vocabulary,’ Hŏsaeng said, looking away from the minister but at the same time unable to resist the minister’s question.
‘Many of the descendents of the Ming lords thought Chosŏn owed them something, so they took refuge in this country, wandering around without much purpose. Would you ask the court to have the royal household give their daughters in marriage to these émigrés? And can you plunder the households of Kim Ryu and Chang Yu and use their possessions to set these émigrés up with material possessions?’
Minister Yi bowed his head in thought for a long time.
‘That would be difficult,’ he said
‘Difficult, difficult, everything’s difficult!’ Hŏsaeng cried. ‘So what can you do? Here’s something really easy. Can you do this?’
‘I’m willing to listen,’ the minister said.
‘Before espousing any great cause under Heaven, it is necessary to conspire with the great heroes under Heaven. If you want to attack a country, you must send secret agents first. Otherwise you won’t succeed. The Manchus are now the lords of Heaven. They don’t have very cordial relations with the Chinese, but they trust us completely. Of course, Chosŏn was the first nation to bow to their dominion. Tang and Yuan of old accepted our children as students and promoted them in the civil service. The Manchus will do likewise. And if we ask them, they won’t forbid our merchants entry. They will accede to our requests because they will see our efforts as motivated by friendliness. So pick your young men. Cut their hair. Dress them in barbarian clothes. The scholars among them can take the examination for foreigners. The peasants can cross the Yangzi; operate as merchants, gather information on the state of the land and conspire with local
